Bamako district and the ten regions of Mali (Kayes, Koulikoro, Sikasso, Ségou, Mopti, Tombouctou, Gao, Kidal, Ménaka and Taoudénit), West Africa
May 2016 to June 2020
900 young entrepreneurs
The project was implemented in partnership with WUSC.
Malian partners:
$3.2 million
Government of Mali through a grant from the World Bank
Like many countries on the African continent, Mali has a particularly high unemployment rate among young people. They face significant constraints that prevent them from accessing decent employment and entrepreneurship opportunities, including a limited access to sufficient and appropriate funding to carry out promising projects.
In response to this situation, the Project to Improve Youth Employment and Skills (PROCEJ) sought to improve education and training to support the development of youth employability and employment opportunities in the private sector. To do this, the project was structured around three components:
Under the second component, led by CECI, two approaches were adopted.
Young people aged 18 to 35, graduates of secondary or higher education, in technical or academic fields, were invited to take part in three business plan competitions. Projects targeted at Mali’s flourishing sectors, such as agrifood, construction, renewable energies, and new information and communication technologies, were preferred. These competitions also favoured innovative projects that respect the environment, create jobs and can be scaled up. These competitions have enabled young Malian entrepreneurs to strengthen their entrepreneurial skills, expand their network, gain visibility and credibility, and improve their chances of accessing funding.
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises with high potential were identified and supported to improve their productivity and their production, transformation and marketing processes.This support came in the form of an easier access to funding, the development of the value chain and the strengthening of specific skills, while supporting solid expansion plans and the development of partnerships with investors.
3 business plan competitions were organized
2,873 business plans reviewed
900 youths were trained in the development of business plans
327 new businesses created or strengthened for the benefit of young people
