The World Bank Board of Executive Directors approved a $55 million loan to develop youth employability programs in the Marrakesh-Safi region of Morocco. The Supporting the Economic Inclusion of Youth project will finance an innovative approach that combines training for lower-skilled youth, support for potential entrepreneurs and investments in local businesses in promising value chains.
The project will draw on lessons learned from past programs aimed at developing the capacity of local authorities to address unemployment by connecting youth to economic opportunities at the local level.
“Youth unemployment remains an acute challenge for Morocco, and we are drawing on our global experience in supporting governments in their efforts to address it through innovative solutions, “ said Marie Françoise Marie-Nelly, Maghreb Country Director. “This project will focus on developing the skills of young people seeking jobs while increasing their economic opportunities by enhancing the conditions for promising businesses to grow. The project is designed to address the specific conditions in the Marrakech-Safi region, but the intention is to build on this first experience to replicate an integrated and efficient model across the entire country.”
The project will target a set of beneficiaries including young men and women who are neither employed nor in training as well as aspiring young entrepreneurs and small and medium enterprises operating in value chains with high potential for growth. The project will set-up “one-stop-centers” which will provide career guidance as well as on-the-job training in the seven provinces of the Region and in the Marrakech prefecture.
Gender inclusion is a major component of the project, which aims to lift barriers faced by young women in accessing career guidance and job-matching programs and skills development services. The project will adopt gender-friendly communications and outreach to families, particularly in rural areas.
Original source: World Bank
Published on 10 May 2019
