Madagascar
Launch Date:
September 2022
Targeted Age:
18-35 Years
Managing Partner:
International Labour Organization
Partner Organizations:
FIFAMANOR, Observatoire de la Jeunesse (OJ), CAFPA and SESAFI.
No. of Beneficiaries
The project was designed to facilitate access to employment to 3,750 rural youth in Madagascar
Target Commodities:
Small ruminants, horticulture, dairy, wheat, soja, vanilla, cloves, pepper, sugar cane, and fruit, as well as restauration and hotels.
Delivering Results: Project Approach, Operational Highlights & Progress
The Pro Agro YOUTH program aims to support youth employment in Madagascar’s agricultural and agribusiness sectors. Led by the ILO, the project targets youth aged 18-35 in the regions of Vakinakaratra, Vatovavy Fitovinany, and Analamanga. The commodity targets include a variety of agricultural and livestock products specific to each region:
- Analamanga region: short-cycle livestock such as poultry and pig farming as well as market gardening , aromatic plants, including flowers, as well as fishing and fish farming, cereals and pulses , fruits, and milk.
- Vakinakaratra region: milk, tubers especially sweet potato, orange pulpit and fish farming, cereals and poultry farming, fruits, vegetables, cereals
- Vatovavy et Fitovinany regions: beekeeping sector, sugar cane poultry farming, sea fishing and bird’s beak pepper.
Approach
The Project recognizes the importance of a collaborative approach to tackle rural youth unemployment. By building a consortium of diverse partners, the program leverages the strengths of each organization to deliver comprehensive support services to young people. This is achieved through a multi-pronged strategy that includes:
Consortium Structure: The program leverages a consortium approach, with FIFAMANOR as the principal hub host coordinating training activities. Additional training infrastructure and expertise are provided by satellite hubs (CAFPA & SEFAFI), while FIHARIANA, a presidential program, offers technical assistance for youth entrepreneurship and access to finance.
Multi-stakeholder Engagement: To enhance program effectiveness, the project fosters collaboration with employers’ organizations and Chambers of Commerce to improve job placement, and with rural youth representatives and farmer organizations to ensure program relevance to community needs.
Market-Driven Training: ToTo ensure training aligns with real-world needs, the program adapts existing youth skilling programs, strengthens career guidance and job-matching services, and prioritizes the development of soft skills to enhance youth employability.
Entrepreneurial Support: The program fosters youth entrepreneurship by leveraging localized private sector investments in agriculture and related sectors, while also providing young entrepreneurs with business development tools and support.
Financial Inclusion:To facilitate access to financing for young entrepreneurs, the program collaborates with FIHARIANA, FDA, and FRDA, enabling them to access financial products and services.
Community-Level Work: The program ensures its relevance by conducting stakeholder mapping and consultations with youth, cooperatives, and farmers’ organizations. This includes identifying all stakeholders within the regions and value chains, pinpointing promising trades based on local economic realities, and maintaining ongoing consultation with rural communities throughout the project lifecycle.
Operational Highlights
The programme in Madagascar has made significant strides in creating employment opportunities for rural youth. Key operational highlights include:
Partnerships: The project has successfully engaged with 306 entities that support rural youth employment, fostering a robust network of collaborators.
Youth Skilling Programs: The project has adapted comprehensive youth skilling programs that respond to labor market demands and economic opportunities in various regions.
Career Guidance and Job Matching: Enhanced career guidance and job-matching services have been implemented to leverage employment opportunities, with a strong focus on developing soft skills.
Agricultural Entrepreneurship: The programme has effectively tapped into opportunities for agricultural entrepreneurship, bolstered by localized private sector investments.
These efforts have resulted in substantial progress in reaching youth and transitioning them into employment: Employment Outcomes: with 1.720 youth already accessing direct employment opportunities, representing 115% of the target. The momentum achieved is expected to continue, potentially surpassing direct employment targets.
Gender Parity: The project has made some advancements towards gender parity, with 46% of youth accessing direct employment being women. Women have shown a slightly stronger inclination towards wage employment, with 55% opting for this path. The programme will continue to explore opportunities to enhance employment outcomes for women.
Targets and Progress
In only a few months the project in Madagascar has been able to attain impressive results, as follows:
| Direct employment* | Indirect employment** |
TOTAL |
|||
| Wage Employment | Self-employment | Total direct employment | |||
| Target | 1,050 | 450 | 1,500 | 2,250 | 3,750 |
|
Progress to date (Nov 2025) |
964 | 756 | 1,720 | 1178 | 2.898 |
| Progress to targets | 92% | 168% | 115% | 52% | 77% |
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