World Bank Launches $972 Million Initiative to Boost Youth Employment in Africa
NAIROBI, Kenya – A new $972 million program backed by the International Development Association aims to address the growing employment crisis in eastern and southern Africa by equipping 18 million young people with the skills needed for in-demand jobs. The initiative, known as the Skills for Economic Transformation and Jobs Program (SET4Jobs), launches as the region grapples with a rapidly expanding youth population and limited opportunities.
Across eastern and southern Africa, approximately eight million young people enter the workforce annually, yet fewer than one million secure waged employment. A significant 6.5 million are neither in education nor employed, with women accounting for roughly 3.6 million of that number. The program seeks to reverse this trend by aligning training with sectors experiencing strong growth, including agribusiness, energy, healthcare, tourism, and manufacturing.
“The initiative is intended to connect skills development directly to expanding industries while helping young people secure stable employment and contribute to economic growth,” said Ndiamé Diop, the World Bank’s vice-president for eastern and southern Africa.
The eight-year program will focus on investment projects in Comoros, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagascar, Mozambique, São Tomé and Príncipe, Tanzania, and Zambia. Regional coordination will be overseen by the Inter-University Council for East Africa, with a focus on strengthening collaboration between higher education institutions, technical training centers, and research organizations.
Idris Rai, acting executive secretary of the council, stated the program will help universities and training institutions become “engines for employment and shared prosperity” by tailoring curricula to meet industry needs.
Beyond direct training, SET4Jobs will support broader economic reforms focused on infrastructure, productivity, and improving the business climate. Recognizing that skills development alone is insufficient, the program will also establish a regional platform for sharing policy lessons and scaling successful approaches. Advisory support will be provided by both the International Development Association and the International Finance Corporation, with the goal of attracting additional public and private investment.
The World Bank initiative comes as officials increasingly view job creation as crucial for stability and long-term growth in a region where the youth population is projected to surge in the coming decades. The program’s architects believe that by directly linking training to economic demand, they can reshape the prospects for millions and drive broader structural transformation.
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