The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank Group has approved financing $180.6 million in financing to help Niger's youth find work and build incomes, particularly in farming and agribusiness.
The Integrated Programme for the Development of Youth Agripreneurship and Technological and Financial Innovation (PIDAJ) covers technical and vocational training, entrepreneurship, access to financing, technological innovation and schemes to build resilience to climate shocks.
To be rolled out across all eight of the country's regions, the programme will build and equip five agricultural high schools and a new Innovation and Incubation Centre at the University of Diffa, set up in partnership with the UN Development Programme. It will also create eight agripreneurship hubs and upgrade nine training centres for agricultural trades. Young entrepreneurs will receive hands-on support through incubators and tailored financing to help them reach markets and access financial services.
The initiative will benefit 100,000 young people and women across Niger, including 5,000 agripreneurs, at least 30% of them women. The remainder will gain entrepreneurial, digital and financial training. In the long term, it will contribute to the modernisation of agriculture, young people's professional integration, improved food security and the stimulation of the rural economy.
"By helping young people to train, find financing and launch their activities, we will enable Niger to create sustainable jobs through agriculture," said Lamin Barrow, African Development Bank Group director general for West Africa.
