Young and entrepreneurial: The possibilities of youth employment across Africa

Before Amina knew she could be an entrepreneur, she was a teacher. Trained as a nursery school instructor, she taught at a school in Tanzania’s Morogoro region. When the school shut down, the loss of employment dealt a crushing blow to her economic independence. It was during one of those difficult days that she heard of a programme being implemented in her village. 

“When I heard about the Opportunities for Youth Employment (or Youth Employment and Entrepreneurship—YEE—as it is now known) initiative, I felt like the door to success may have been reopened.” Amina, Youth Entrepreneur, Tanzania 

The programme combines four strategies to help youth move from training to tangible results. These strategies include market-driven opportunity matching, mentoring for self-employment and green enterprise creation, facilitating access to finance and resources, and practical skills development. Beyond individual success, YEE fosters knowledge sharing among local partners, strengthen youth employment efforts and an enabling policy environment long after the initiative ends. 

YEE is currently being implemented in 10 countries across Africa, in partnership with Mastercard Foundation and other partners. Based on evolving market dynamics and youth needs, YEE works to provide more emphasis on the role of entrepreneurship and young people's role in employment creation. 

So far, YEE programme has worked with over 600,000 young people and supported the creation of nearly 440,000 jobs. 

When Amina enrolled in the programme, she received training in life skills and business development for horticulture. Her business eye constantly roved for opportunities in the community. Soon, she found an opening. 

Amina realised that people in her village had to walk long distances to get breakfast and lunch during their workdays. Determined to make life easier for her community, she thought of the most practical business case, leading to the opening of her restaurant closer to the local workplace. Today, the restaurant is a success, and Amina has become a role model for other young women in her community.  

Amina has begun horticulture farming and paddy rice farming activities using the profits she makes, as a way to diversify her income sources. These farming activities also employ other young people from the community. As a single mother, Amina’s combined income is enough for her to raise her son, support her mother, pay rent, and cover her daily expenses. 

At the beginning of the decade, around one in five African youth were not in employment, education or training. Young women, rural youth, persons with disabilities, and other socially excluded groups often face even greater obstacles to employment. Structural barriers limit young people's access to finance, quality education, and markets, leading to pervasive informal employment.  

YEE works within these contexts, with a core approach of addressing the root causes of youth unemployment rather than its symptoms. By aligning markets, policies, and capacity building, it builds systems where youth-led enterprises can grow and create further employment opportunities, contributing to more inclusive development. 

This requires strong partnerships with key actors, including the youth themselves. Through a market-oriented approach alongside policy engagement, YEE fosters an enabling environment for youth employment and entrepreneurship. The programme also equips young people with the tools, skills, and networks needed to identify and pursue opportunities for enterprise development and employment.  

According to a recent impact assessment, 90% of surveyed youth reported that the business skills acquired through the programme were key to their business success. The assessment also found that 60% of those interviewed were successful in starting businesses by leveraging their initial agri-food or energy businesses to fund other business activities. In fact, 80% reported starting income-generating activities to supplement their initial income and reduce their risk exposure. 

About an hour’s drive from Amina and her thriving restaurant business, lives Levina, who has also exhibited a similar entrepreneurial resilience. After limited success with her first business, she joined the YEE programme in her village Kauzeni. The training she received in business management became the launch pad for her hairdressing salon.  

“I [...] acquired good customer service skills and digital marketing strategies that helped me market my business on Facebook and Whatsapp,” she says, adding, “The training on basic life skills, business development, and entrepreneurial skills was my favourite.”  

Levina generated the funds for her establishment through farming and working as a food vendor. The training she received in horticulture farming at the YEE programme came in handy as she worked and saved money. Her efforts paid off, and the business generates sufficient income for her today. She enjoys financial freedom and has even become an employer, temporarily engaging a youth to assist her. 

In neighbouring Rwanda, Mutuyimana Deodatus received technical training on the installation of solar power systems. In the energy sector, technical prowess is fundamental to an individual’s success. Deodatus was later hired by the largest solar financing company in the country. This job allowed him to save and obtain capital to start a local beverage business. 

The business thrived, enabling Mutuyimana to become self-reliant. He has built a home, bought three plots of land for farming, and owns two cows. He considers the training he received to be a gift and is committed to growing his business. 

 The stories of Amina, Levina, and Mutuyimana show how young people with diverse skills, across different communities and countries, can reshape their own futures. Their journeys reflect the power of YEE to spark the kind of systemic transformation that turns individual opportunity into collective progress.