The African Development Bank Group has approved a $5.28 million grant to South Sudan, aimed at creating jobs for young people and women. Provided under AFDB’s Transition Support Facility (TSF), it supports the ‘Job Creation through Youth and Women-led Micro and Small Enterprises (JMSE) Project.’
The project will be executed between Jan 2025-Dec 2028, by South Sudan’s Ministry of Trade and Industry, with implementation handled by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), which has also contributed $1.2 million.
Key objectives include enhancing employability, fostering business growth, and improving access to capital and markets for micro and small enterprises. It also aims to coordinate SME and private sector development efforts.
Targeted for implementation in Northern Bahr-El-Ghazal and Western Bahr-El-Ghazal states, the project will directly assist 1,060 young people (50% of whom are women) and 830 women in creating sustainable businesses. It will also support 50 youth-led micro and small enterprises, and 50 women-led enterprises, helping to drive job creation.
According to Themba Bhebhe, the AFDB’s Country Office Manager in South Sudan, the JMSE Project also offers refugees a chance to contribute to local economic recovery and social cohesion, while also supporting peacebuilding and stabilization efforts.
Lastly, the project focuses on the sustainable development of businesses, fostering competitiveness in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) through capacity-building initiatives. South Sudan, which faces high levels of youth unemployment, will benefit from this initiative as the African Development Bank continues to support the government’s job creation programs.
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