LocationsSocial entrepreneurship, an alternative to promote employment
Djibouti - December 16, 2021 - The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in partnership with the Ministry of Economy, Finance and Industries (MEFI) and with funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is organizing 40 social business camps in Djibouti City and five regions of Djibouti between December 2021 and February 2022.
This training program aims to develop income-generating activities for micro and small businesses and innovative projects throughout the country. This training follows the renowned KnowGoGrow (Know - Go - Grow) approach. The first "KNOW" phase consists of learning about entrepreneurship and business development opportunities. Candidates selected for the "GO" phase will receive personalized business development support and a platform for sharing ideas.
To ensure that no one is left behind, UNDP organized 22 community engagement sessions in different neighborhoods of Djibouti City, Ali Sabieh, Dikhil, Tadjourah, Obock and Arta to understand the development priorities and social issues of the communities. People interested in social entrepreneurship had the opportunity to register to participate in the social business camp. Simultaneously, UNDP has launched the public call for applications to promote innovative ideas and invites micro and small businesses and people with innovative ideas to register before January 23 on http://www.risingdjibouti.org. A total of 1,200 applicants will be selected to participate in the "know" phase of the program.
The first ten Know Camps have already brought together about 300 young people from the five regions and allowed them to propose their project to be selected for the "Go" phase of the program. Nevertheless, the call for applications remains open until January 23.
This program is part of the USAID-funded "Protecting Livelihoods and Jobs in the Face of COVID-19" project and aims to build economic resilience by improving livelihoods. It aims to create employment opportunities by building the capacity of innovators and micro and small enterprises to respond to the crisis.
At the same time, this project will also develop promising new value chains through networks of MSMEs led by women and youth to accelerate socio-economic recovery, mainly in the green and blue sector, and build community resilience in the five regions and Djibouti City.
In line with the National Solidarity Plan and the National Development Plan, it will also create employment opportunities for youth through digital applications and private sector partnerships and strengthen market linkages for national products and services.
The project aims to contribute to the improvement of livelihoods and socio-economic recovery of about 5,000 beneficiaries and will strengthen the social inclusion of the most disadvantaged and unemployed youth.