Ivory Coast

Launch Date:
September 2022

Targeted Age:
18-35 Years

Managing Partner:

International Labour Organization (ILO)

Partner Organizations:

The Government Small and Medium Enterprise Agency (CIPME) and the National Agency for Rural Development (ANADER)

No. of Beneficiaries

The project was designed to facilitate access to employment to 3,750 rural youth in Ivory Coast

Target Commodities:

Cashew, mango, shea, beekeeping, dried fruit, phytosanitary products

Project Location:

Bagoué and Tchologo; with possible extension to Hambol and Gwêkê.

Delivering Results: Project Approach, Operational Highlights & Progress

Recognizing the critical role of youth in Côte d’Ivoire’s agricultural development, the project focuses on fostering youth employment in Côte d’Ivoire’s agricultural sector. Targeting individuals aged 18-35 in the Northern (Bagoué, Poro, Tchologo) and Central (Hambol, Gbeké) territories, the program aims to directly support 1,500 youth (wage employment and entrepreneurship) and indirectly benefit an additional 2,250 young people.

To achieve this goal, the program leverages a strategic partnership structure:

The International Labour Organization (ILO) leads the program, bringing their expertise in promoting decent work opportunities.
Agence CIPME, the national agency for SME development, provides expertise in self-employment (entrepreneurship) initiatives. Their experience working with international organizations ensures effective program delivery.

Approach

In Côte d’Ivoire, the ILO country office and Côte d’Ivoire PME (Côte d’Ivoire SME Agency), the leading governmental entity promoting the creation, growth, and consolidation of productive, competitive SMEs, form the main consortium of implementing partners. Beyond the core partners, a network of specialized partners such as employment agencies, vocational training agencies, research and financial institutions amongst others play critical roles in supporting the young people. This network, along with the three-phased integrated agribusiness hub model, ensures that young people have the resources and skills to thrive.

Through this ecosystems approach, the project:

Offers a comprehensive support system: By combining expertise from various stakeholders, the project ensures young people have access to a full spectrum of resources, from training and mentorship to job placement and financing.
Addresses local needs: Partnering with local agencies allows the program to tailor its approach to the specific needs and challenges faced by youth in each region.
Promote long-term sustainability: Collaboration with research institutions ensures the program incorporates best practices and prepares young people for future advancements in the agricultural sector.

Highlights of Project Operations

The project brings together agencies that are already engaged and committed in helping youth build a prosperous future for themselves, both under the wage and self-employment tracks.

Key strategies employed by the project so far include:

Establishing partnerships with 30 potential employers in Côte d’Ivoire to create job opportunities.
Collaborating with existing employers and investors to generate employment for youth in the project area.
Identifying the skills required by employers and developing targeted upskilling packages to equip un/underemployed youth for these jobs.
Forming targeted partnerships to enhance the effectiveness of existing mechanisms supporting youth entrepreneurship, addressing challenges that limit the success of current programs.
Exploring opportunities for entrepreneurship support in both start-up and business acceleration spaces.

Early results are promising:

Direct employment: As of April 2025, 1.583 rural youth have secured jobs, with 430 entering entrepreneurship.
Gender inclusion: Despite the challenges the project is facing, there has been improvements in terms of gender inclusion, with 47% of all beneficiaries being women. The share of women in wage employment is 44%, while good results are show in the self employment, with 57% of beneficiaries being women.

Targets and Progress

The project was designed to facilitate access to employment to 3,750 rural youth in Ivory Coast. The table below portrays the impressive progress the project has made in only a few months of actual field operations:

	Direct employment*			Indirect employment**	TOTAL
	Wage Employment	Self-employment	Total direct employment	Indirect employment**	TOTAL
Target	1,050	450	1,500	2,250	3,750
Progress to date (Nov 2025)	1.153	430	1.583	1000	2.583
Progress to targets	110%	96%	106%	44%	69%

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The hubs are a place where the ambitions and aspirations of rural young women and men meet the potential of rural economies. Adopting a unique holistic ecosystem approach, this model combines talent, technology, know-how and capital, allowing for enterprise