The African Development Bank (AfDB) is taking a lead role in promoting Social Business in Africa together with the Regional Member Country (RMC) governments, international development partners, social business experts, and other key stakeholders. It has hence launched a two-year Holistic Social Business Movement (HSBM) Program, along with Yunus Social Business (YSB), which aims at building capacity in social business and creating jobs.

Relevant stakeholders, including local government agencies, CSOs, private sector, locally based microfinance institutions, NGOs, potential young social business entrepreneurs and community representatives, will be trained through capacity-building sessions. Pilot projects will be implemented in Tunisia, Togo and Uganda with a direct impact on youth employment and entrepreneurship. The HSBM Program is planned to expand to other RMCs with proven effectiveness upon completion of the pilot projects.

Training for Bank staff on Social Business is thus essential to adopt Social Business as an innovative instrument for job creation, private sector development and poverty reduction. Bank staff will be trained through capacity building workshops on Social Business and Holistic Social Business Movement to broaden their skillsets in project design, appraisal and evaluation for inclusive growth, and build up the expertise in technical assistance, country dialogue and policy advisory with the RMCs' Government and key stakeholders to enable the Social Business environment and promote Social Business development on the continent.

There will be a four-day training at AfDB headquarters gathering around 50-60 Bank staff. Staff will benefit from a deep immersion into Social Business and Holistic Social Business Movements. Workshop materials will be designed and delivered by Yunus Social Business.