Creating Youth Employment Projects in Emerging Sectors

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GRADEL(GROUP OF LOCAL DEVELOPMENT ACTION's)

Creating Youth Employment Projects in Emerging
Sectors
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Message from the Executive Director

• Dear Friends
• The Group of Local Development Actions
  is a group of research and from action on the
  development was born in 2003. It is given like
  vocation to use new communication and information
  technologies for development ,the eradication of
  poverty, youth employment and achieving the
  Millennium Development Goals.
• The 4th to 5th of March 2003, OECD,
  within the framework of its world forum on the
  economy of the knowledge organized with the
  United Nations and the World Bank, a forum on the
  topic "To integrate communication and information
  technology in the programs of development was the
  inciting element because ICT play from now on a
  determining part. It revolutionize our way of
  thinking, to work, live by reducing the times and
  the costs of communication, ICT makes possible
  the diffusion and the exchange of information
  abundant, relevant, brought up to date and
  directly useful for the development. Our work
  consists in supporting initiatives of development
  having a strong economic and social impact while
  making available reliable information.
• Now is the time to strengthen the efforts of
  GRADEL by pulling together ICT4YOUTH, and GRADEL
  will work to build capacity of young people, all
  other partners in the ICTs will stand up and
  play their part. Please view this as just a
  concept note that needs your comments and
  support.
• In solidarity Owalakin B.BELLO

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GRADEL
Table of Contents
1. The Twin Opportunities 2. The GRADEL
Campaigns Solution 3. The GRADEL Campaign
Fund 4. Sector Solutions 5. GRADEL Background
Information
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GRADEL
1. The Twin Opportunities
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The Twin Opportunities
GRADEL
Developing countries currently face two sets of
pressing problems
Sector Development Needs
Youth Unemployment

• Renewable Energy 2 billion people lack access to
  energy/electricity
• Water Sanitation 2.5 billion people lack
  access to clean water and sanitation
• Rural Development 60 of the developing world
  still live in rural areas
• Information Communication Technologies barely
  2 of the world population has internet access
• HIV/Aids 95 of the estimated 38 million people
  infected with HIV live in developing countries

• There are currently 1 billion young people
  between the ages of 15-24
• 850 million of these are living in developing
  countries
• Over the next 30 years, this number will increase
  by another 1.2 billion, mostly in developing
  countries
• Young people are cognizant of the inequities of
  the global system, and are susceptible to
  association with the negative forces in their
  communities
• It is critical that youth employment
  opportunities are developed

Imagine if we could solve both of these problems
at once?
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GRADEL
Unemployment of youth has far-reaching
implications on the labour market and the society
at large. Youth unemployment contributes to
economic exclusion and poverty and increases the
probability of future joblessness. Youth
unemployment results in the loss of a valuable
contribution to economic activity and growth from
one of the most productive elements in society.
It obstructs the movement of young people from
adolescence to adulthood and in turn is a major
cause of crime and drug abuse. High levels of
youth unemployment can also lead to alienation
from society and distrust of democratic political
processes. As a result, social cohesion is
undermined. International Labour
Organizations World Employment Report 1998/99
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GRADEL
2. The GRADEL Campaigns Solution
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GRADEL
Introduction to the GRADEL Campaign

• The GRADEL Campaign was launched in BENIN in the
  post -NATIONAL FORUM for YOUTH EMPLOYMEN under
  the patronage of President YAYI BONI in 8th to
  10 th Mars 2007 by GRADEL delegates.
• The campaign was launched in response to the
  enormous global challenge of youth unemployment
  affecting millions of young people around BENIN
  the goals to
• build the capacity of young people to create
  sustainable livelihoods
• establish an entrepreneurial culture where youth
  will work towards self employment
• Today, we are planning to establish Networks work
  with stakeholder groups such as the government,
  business, academics, NGOs, UN agencies etc. to
  develop programs, and suggest policies for
  promoting youth employment
• These GRADEL Networks will be supported by our
  potential partners.
• Additionally, the GRADEL Campaign works with
  national and global partners to develop and
  deploy effective programs that realize the
  following objectives
• Develop capacity of youth to lead in-country
  youth employment initiatives
• Promote (in-country) youth employment to address
  key development challenges
• Build in-country coalitions to develop national
  strategies addressing youth unemployment

We have placed the issue of youth employment on
the global agenda.
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GRADEL
The Evolution of the GRADEL Campaign
2012
2003
2007
2008

• Identifying the issues
• Building consensus
• Generating ideas

• Creating a platform that inspire youth and
  development of Networks
• Advocacy with leaders and institutions
• Identifying sectors for employment and doing
  pilot work
• Establishing the GRADEL information center hub
  for generating employment

• Building Partnerships
• Creating employment generation models in GRADEL
  Network
• Building in-country self-reliance

• Replicating and scaling up employment generating
  programs

We are creating great progress in building
knowledge and infrastructure.
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GRADEL
The 10 GRADEL Networks are youth-led
national-level coalitions focused on promoting
youth employment

• Manifesting two core design principles that drive
  the GRADEL Campaigns work
• the recognition that no one individual or
  institution can do the work alone working in
  partnership is essential
• our belief in building self reliance and
  absorption capacity in our GRADEL Network
  countries
• Networks exist from Natitingou to Cotonou!
• JOIN US

There is a Youth Event organized somewhere in the
world every other day!
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GRADEL
We are establishing new partnership around the
world
Afghanistan Albania Angola Argentina Armenia Austr
alia Austria Azerbaijan Bangladesh Benin Bhutan Bo
livia Brazil Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cameroo
n
Canada Chad Chile Colombia Costa Rica Cote
DIvoire Dominican Republic Egyp El
Salvador Gambia Georgia Ghana Guatemala Guinea
Bissau Guyana Haiti Honduras
India Iran Jordan Kenya Liberia Malaysia Malawi Ma
li Mauritius Mexico Moldova Mozambique Namibia Nep
al Nigeria Pakistan Panama
Paraguay Philippines Peru Romania Rwanda Senegal S
erbia Montenegro Sierra Leone Somalia South
Africa Swaziland Tanzania Togo Uganda USA Uruguay
Zambia Zimbabwe
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GRADEL
GRADEL Global Activities

• Outreach Engagement
• Building strategic alliances and fostering
  partnerships Over 1000 members of the GRADEL
  Global Alliance
• Seeking and developing programs Over 100
  programs and projects
• Communicating information about youth employment
  and the GRADEL Campaign through newsletters,
  press releases, the website, electronic
  discussion groups, toolkits, and publications.
  Partner publication. Over 50 original
  publications
• Organizing regional and national training
  workshops and Forums.
• Knowledge Development
• Designing and implementing youth employment pilot
  projects centered around the Campaigns five key
  sectors
• Conducting policy analysis and publishing policy
  briefs
• Managing the Global Knowledge Resource (GKR) a
  resource database and communication medium where
  all stakeholders of youth employment can share
  and access innovative initiatives, useful
  toolkits, and comprehensive research and
  publications
• Managing the GRADEL, information center hub for
  youth employment initiatives located in Cotonou

We are at the forefront of youth unemployment
advocacy and research.
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GRADEL
GRADEL Global Activities

• Capacity Building
• Supporting the formation and development of
  GRADEL Networks, youth-led entities comprised of
  diverse stakeholders groups committed to the
  issue of promoting youth employment
• Creating the GRADEL Networks in the following
  activities
• Consultations Hosting national level
  consultations with governments, private sector,
  academic institutions, education and training
  organizations and NGOS and youth groups to build
  the national coalition for youth employment
• Partnership Building Building partnerships for
  developing and implementing projects
• Action Plans Preparing country action plans and
  reports to inform stakeholders
• Entrepreneurship Development Promoting an
  entrepreneurial culture through workshops and
  materials developing programs to provide
  business development services to young people
  working with banks and government agencies to
  provide credit and to provide credit and other
  services to youth
• Understanding Markets Understanding the needs of
  the market place and creating products and
  services to serve the market and to help in
  enterprise development
• Mobilizing Resources Building the capacity of
  GRADEL Network leadership to identify needs,
  develop projects, build partnerships, mobilize
  resources and implement projects
• Build Absorption Capacity Working to make the
  YES Networks sustainable and effective and able
  to absorb the resources available for its
  development

We excel in a catalyzing youth-led employment
creation programs.
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GRADEL
3. The GRADEL Fund For Youth Employment
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GRADEL
Our Request Invest in the GRADEL Fund
Let us be clear. Half-educated, unemployed
youth, with no prospect of being integrated into
a better future is a prescription for disaster.
If young people do not have a stake in the
existing social order and political order, if
they do not feel there is a way for them, why
should they sacrifice today for a better
tomorrow? Why should they have an interest in
protecting the stability and social safety of
that system? Dr. Ismail Serageldin, Vice
President, World Bank, 1999

• The Problem
• Over one billion youth in the labor market
• No real jobs in the public or private sectors
• Solution
• Creating Markets
• Unleashing Entrepreneurship
• What will the GRADEL Fund do
• Offer a mix of grants, loans and technical
  assistance to young entrepreneurs
• Support will be offered to those countries that
  have arranged matching funds
• YOU CAN invest as a
• A traditional philanthropic donor
• A micro-finance creditor
• A venture capital angel investor
• A private donor at any level comfortable for
  youit will take all of US!

We seek your help in raising a fund to turn our
knowledge into action.
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GRADEL
Replicating INITIATIVE
We need a New Deal for Youth Employment What is
Missing is the WILL will we?

• The YES Campaign recognizes that it is only
  through employment, that we can accomplish
  conditions of freedom, democracy and equity,
  where youth can live in dignity and relate to the
  society and the environment in a truly
  sustainable way.
• Dr. Mohamed T El Ashry, CEO GEF, September 2002

• Renewable Energy The UN Industrial Development
  Organization (UNIDO) and the Global Environment
  Facility have worked with us to train and develop
  RE entrepreneurs
• Water Sanitation With the United Nations Human
  Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) and others, we
  are currently developing a plan to develop
  income-generating programs in this sector
• Rural Development The United Nations Economic
  Commission for Africa (UNECA), the Youth
  Employment Network (YEN), UNIDO, and the YES
  Campaign are preparing a project for East Africa
  for promoting agribusiness among youth
• Information Communication Technologies With
  the IT department of the Ministry of Technology
  in India the YES Campaign is proposing to set up
  200 Knowledge Centers to train youth in ICT
  skills, and serve as an information hub for local
  communities
• HIV/AIDS YES Campaign staff has worked with the
  USAID-funded program Equip 3 in Southern Africa
  to prepare a livelihoods based strategy for
  prevention

The Campaign is uniquely positioned to leverage
your investment.
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GRADEL
Overview of the Fund
Fund Goals
To create jobs for unemployed youth in the 5
development sectors
Investment Options
DONATIONS
LOANS
EQUITY
Investment Beneficiary
Knowledge Training
Individual Youth Entrepreneurs
New or Growing Enterprises
Investment Use

• Fund knowledge and employment centers that
  provide job-skills training classes and practical
  experience

• Provide small loans (with interest return) to
  local youth entrepreneurs looking to start
  businesses

• Provide capital and strategic advice to young and
  growing businesses in return for an ownership
  stake

Job CreationImpact

• Prepare youth for the working world

• Help build youth employment opportunities

• Create many new jobs as businesses grow

The Fund will offer various avenues for
investment and return.
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GRADEL
Donations Investments

• The GRADEL Campaign needs your investment to help
  strengthen local infrastructure for developing
  young entrepreneurs
• The donations will be used to create Knowledge
  and Research centers that will offer
• Youth Leadership Training
• Green Enterprise Training
• Social Entrepreneurship Training
• Fundraising Training
• Livelihoods Internship Programs
• As well as supporting youth in
• Youth Led Innovative Program Implementation
• Seed Grant Projects for Entrepreneurship
  Development
• Developing multi-stakeholder partnerships for
  program design
• Building local capacity for program
  implementation
• Using new technologies for livelihood generation
• Community Driven Development
• Designing Collaborative Projects

Donations will impact scores of youth creating
employment programs.
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GRADEL
Loans Investments

• We will work with you to select the young people
  and train then to design business solutions in
  the five development sectors
• Renewable Energy
• Water Sanitation
• Rural Development
• Information Communication Technologies
• HIV/AIDS
• The GRADEL Fund seeks to provide the start-up
  capital to help these entrepreneurs launch their
  business ideas
• Many of these investments will be made in the
  form of micro-credit loans that will offer
  investors both a return of principal and interest
• Micro-credit has been proven to act as a catalyst
  for both new employment-generating ventures and
  reliable investor returns
• The GRADEL Campaign will leverage its local
  knowledge and experience as well as commercial
  and government partnerships to implement this
  investment initiative

Loans to young entrepreneurs will spur crucial
development solutions.
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GRADEL
Equity Investments

• In the medium-term, many of the development
  projects inspired and supported by GRADEL
  Campaign initiatives will be in phases of
  fruition and growth
• The GRADEL Campaign Fund aims to be in a position
  to provide significant capital to young and
  growing enterprises to further our two goals of
  creating employment and developing sector
  infrastructure
• Because the GRADEL Campaign prefers market-based
  solutions and understands that hand-outs are not
  the best long-term answer, the Fund will make
  capital contributions in the form of equity
• These contributions will ensure aligned
  incentives, long-term sustainability and an
  investment return to our investors
• Additionally, our investors can leverage their
  business backgrounds and provide strategic advice
  to the youth entrepreneurs
• Creating a culture of market-driven ownership and
  investment will catalyze long-term systemic
  change in the developing world

Equity investments are the final step in ensuring
lasting enterprises.
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GRADEL
GRADEL Fund - Governance
GRADEL will choose the best Bank that profile is
to mobilizes market capital and philanthropic
investment for development enterprise, will be
acts as trustee for funds ensuring compliance
with business standards and regulatory
requirements, screens and selects opportunities
for funding, oversees grant-making and investment
into youth enterprise, and reports back to donors
and investors.
Advisory Board
Bank Trustees
The Board advises on all aspects of philanthropic
market investment and capacity building
Bank LLP
Donors
Bank Trustees channels donations to charitable
aspects of GRADEL Campaign network
Bank LLP mobilizes for-profit micro-finance
investment and acts as equity partner for
selected GRADEL enterprises
GRADEL Campaign orchestrates action in the
in-country networks
Strong Governance is critical for investor and
donor confidence
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GRADEL
4. Sector Solutions
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GRADEL
Renewable Energy

• Organize young people at the community level to
  assemble, install, service and market renewable
  energy systems
• Provide renewable energy entrepreneurship
  training and seed grants or access to
  microfinance credit for innovative youth to
  launch their own renewable energy enterprise such
  as
• providing energy for agro-based industries for
  making fruit pulp and juices, pickles, and drying
  vegetables
• manufacturing of home lighting systems - lights,
  fans and small refrigerators for storing
  medication, milk
• Designing and installing small power plants for
  institutions
• maintenance of renewable energy systems and
  selling and installing small home systems such as
  solar panels
• manufacturing of solar lanterns for fishing
  activities during the night and renewable energy
  based ICTs to enhance access to income generation
  opportunities, especially in rural areas
• solar cookers
• installation and maintenance of solar powered
  community facilities in rural areas

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GRADEL
Rural Development (On-Farm and Off-Farm)

• Orient agricultural extension programs towards
  youth, which includes
• preparing then to set up small enterprises
• working with credit institutions to help youth
  build productive assets such as land, livestock,
  equipment and others
• vocational training, micro-entrepreneurship in
  the curriculum targeting young women
• identifying, natural resource based micro
  enterprises, and offering rural youth business
  development services to start such enterprises
• building an understanding of how agro-business
  value chains work and supporting rural youth
  entrepreneurs in producing value-added farm
  products

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GRADEL
Water Sanitation

• Integrate youth in community management processes
  to improve the availability and supply of clean
  drinking water, sanitation services, and
  environmental conditions through
• research, develop and disseminate information on
  water and sanitation sector, to inform and
  support behavioral change at the village level
• support income-generating programs in rain
  water-harvesting, storage and supply
• organizing community level training for youth to
  build and maintain low cost toilets in rural
  areas and tackle the sanitation needs of people
  in villages
• training youth to build and maintain hand pumps
  to provide water supply to rural communities

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GRADEL
Information Communication Technology

• Develop programs to support ICT-based
  entrepreneurship through
• Knowledge Centers that provide information and a
  business development network that seeks to link
  youth entrepreneurs, interns, investors,
  incubators with each other
• Youth in Business Centers to support developing
  business ideas, explore credit options and
  financial management, and assist in marketing,
  product development
• training youth in web based services such as
  website development and e-marketing
• training youth as educators and mentors for
  distance learning and business development
• supporting agriculture though ICT tools
• incorporating the use of ICTs to support the
  educational programs for the students of the
  elementary and middle schools in the communities

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GRADEL
Reproductive Health HIV/Aids

• Improve the reproductive health and family
  planning choices of women through
• life skills and leadership trainings with
  reproductive health messages embedded
• providing vocational, professional and
  entrepreneurial trainings
• conducting pilot programs to evaluate the
  correlation between economic empowerment and
  improved reproductive health status
• improve the livelihood opportunities of youth
  living with HIV/AIDS - training them in
  positive living, peer/educators/mentors,
  establishing a support and mentorship network
• strengthen services by introducing a greater
  focus on youth livelihood initiatives, and
  supporting the design, implementation, monitoring
  and evaluation of the delivery of youth-friendly
  HIV/AIDS and reproductive heath services

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5. GRADEL Background Information
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GRADEL
GRADEL Campaign Leadership

• Campaign Committee
• Saturnin KOSSOU President ONG DPD( Dialogue for
  Peace and Development) President of DPD Network
• Gbenga Adebusuyi FOUNDER of WIRE AFRICA President
  of Economic Forum Africa-USA
• Executive Director
• Owalakin B.BELLO
• GRADEL (Group of Local Development Actions)
• c/1365 Ste-Rita
• 072BP238 Cotonou-Benin
• Tel. [phone]
• Fax.[phone]
• Email jmsjbenin2006_at_yahoo.fr

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GRADEL
These Recent Project Successes in YES NETWORK can
be replicate

• India - The UNIDO/India Renewable Energy (RE)
  project had 4 major outcomes
• Created a RE Center for Excellence at the SRT
  Rural Institute (SRTRI), in Andhra Pradesh
• Established a Solar Laboratory at SRTRI
• Trained about 100 young people as technicians and
  entrepreneurs in RE
• Worked with Shell Solar and other businesses to
  tailor the curriculum to their needs, and almost
  40 percent of the trainees were hired by private
  business

• Zambia - UNIDO/Zambia Renewable Energy (RE)
  project had 4 major outcomes
• The creation of a RE lab at the Elias Mutale
  Training Centre, in Kasama, Zambia
• Training 50 Master Trainers in renewable energy
  enterprise development, and an additional 250
  youth trained by these master trainers
• A microfinance plan developed for the government
• A vibrant RE enterprise development network
  created of institutions, experts, NGOs, youth,
  membership drawn from all 23 districts in Zambia

• Global Environment Facility (GEF) The Renewable
  Energy Fellowship program
• 5 Youth selected in competitive process (from
  Georgia, Ghana, India, Malawi, Peru)
• Training delivered in renewable energy,
  leadership and entrepreneurship
• Business planning assistance and start-up funding
  provided for businesses in
• Portable Photovoltaic Panels Production and
  Distribution
• Wind Power Mills and Turbines for Farming
• Solar Equipment lanterns, box cookers
• Wind Energy to Pump Water for Communities
• Bio-digesters and Solar Cookers through Bio-mass

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GRADEL
The GRADEL Framework for Action
Equity
Employability
Entrepreneurship
Employment Generation
Environmental Sustainability
Empowerment of Youth
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GRADEL
TITLE
THIS PRESENTATION WAS INSPIRED BY YES (Youth
Employment Summit)
Message