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Apply to Young Africa Works in Uganda

Our partners manage the recruitment and selection of program participants.

The Young Africa Works Program works closely with key stakeholders to enable young women and men, including refugees, internally displaced youth, and those living with disabilities, to acquire the skills needed to find employment or create work opportunities.

Learn more about program initiatives and current opportunities.

  • Access to Digital Economy (Digital Rails)

    Duration: 5 years (Oct 2021 – Sept 2026)

    The Innovation Village (TIV), under the Digital Rails intervention, is targeting youth entrepreneurs operating early-stage businesses and late-stage businesses, small holder farmers, MSMEs, refugees and individual digital developers. Youth enrolled in the program acquire digital skills to secure work in the digital ecosystem and are equipped with financial literacy to secure funding for digital investment.

    Services targeting youth and small scale farmers:

    • Small scale farmer and young agri-entrepreneurs acquire digital skills and financial literacy including investment readiness skills to increase the market of their produce.
    • Small scale farmers can access affordable digital infrastructure to efficiently engage in the tech world.
    • Young people and small-scale farmers are supported in capacity building initiatives for technical talent and skillset.
    • Link small scale farmers to existing platforms and solutions like the Mastercard Farmers Network for them to access wider market.

    To Enrol/Engage

    To engage with TIV, please contact

  • Markets for Youth

    Duration: 5 years (June 2020 – June 2025)

    GOAL Uganda is a Young Africa Works partner in Uganda targeting rural young women and men, refugee youth and youth living with disabilities. Under the program Markets for Youths, GOAL is offering services focused on off – and on- farm agriculture market systems to young people in the North, West, and Central regions of Uganda.

    Services targeting youth:

    • Young entrepreneurs can access formal financial services through the linkages to financial institutions.
    • Young people increase their negotiation confidence to secure better market prices.
    • Young entrepreneurs can access sustainable markets through increased bargaining power and their collective voices.
    • Ultimately, young people acquire entrepreneurship skills, employment skills and business development skills in agricultural system – crop and livestock value chains.

    To Enrol/ Engage

    To engage with GOAL, please contact

  • Hi- Innovator

    Duration: 5 years (July 2020 – June 2025)

    The National Social Security Fund (NSSF) with its program Hi-Innovator is targeting young entrepreneurs, young women, refugee youths and people living with disabilities to provide all forms of business support. Within this program youth benefit from a wide array of services such as entrepreneurship skills, business support and linkage to the network of business expertise.

    Services targeting youths:

    • Through the pre-accelerator and accelerator phases of project, youth can pitch their ideas to secure seed funding to scale up their businesses.
    • Youth entrepreneurs are trained to increase their potential to source funding to grow their businesses
    • Youth entrepreneurs are linked to an eco-system of potential investors and business supporters in relation to growth and sustainability and the network of business experts.
    • Youth are supported to enrol in Business Incubation Centres to enhance their capacity to start ideate, start-up businesses and sustain them.

    To Enrol/Engage

    To engage with Hi-Innovator team, please contact

  • Youth, Young Women and Men, Refugees Enabled to Work through Access to Finance

    Duration: 5 years (April 2020 – March 2025)

    Equity Bank Uganda LDT is enabling young women and men, young entrepreneurs, and refugees to engage and become familiar with financial products. The bank offers the following service to youth:

    Services targeting youth:

    • At Equity Bank Uganda Ltd. Young people acquire financial literacy and soft skills in business growth related to agriculture, tourism, manufacturing, lake-based activities, hospitality, among others.
    • Through this program, youths can access start-up capital and funding for upscaling their enterprises.
    • Youth are facilitated to form groups to access affordable financial products such as loans without collaterals attached.

    To Enrol/Engage

  • White Meat Value Chain

    Duration: 5 years (Nov 2019 – Dec 2024)

    Gudie Leisure Farm (GLF) is a Young Africa Works partner that is nurturing youth to work effectively in the White Meat Value Chain. The program targets young women and men, out of school dropouts in central regions (Kampala, Wakiso, Mukono, Mubende, Masaka, Rakai, Lwengo), youth living in the rural areas of the West regions (Isingiro, Mbarara, Kiryandongo, Hoima), South (Kabale, Kisoro), North (Arua, Gulu, Nwoya), and Eastern region (Tororo, Soroti, Namisindwa, Jinja).

    Services targeting youth:

    • Young people at GLF are upskilled in relevant competenticies across the entire white meat value chain including aquaculture, poultry, cuniculture, and piggery.
    • Youths at GLF go through a mini-franchise agribusiness incubation model which trains, incubates and supports young Business Manager Apprentices to develop enterprises along the white meat value chain.
    • Through the GLF model, youths reduce the dormant time between education and employment. Youth in this programme graduate with a comprehensive entrepreneurship starter pack and receive ongoing business development support to progress the success of their enterprises.

    To Enrol/Engage

    • For skills in white meat value chain, engagement in different hubs at the farm and access to a starter package, click here https://gudieleisurefarm.org/

    To engage with GLF, please contact

  • Skilling for Entrepreneurship and Digital Employment in Mid-Western Uganda

    Duration: 5 years (Sept 2020 – Aug 2025)

    The Uganda Rural Development Training Institute (URDT -I) is skilling young people in Entrepreneurship and Dignified Employment in Mid-Western Uganda (Mubende, Hoima, Masindi, Kagadi) The program is targeting young women and men, young entrepreneurs, refugee youths including young people living with disabilities.

    Services targeting youth:

    • Young people acquire vocational skills and entrepreneurship skills through trainings on high value Agricultural production (crops, livestock, processing, value addition), Tourism (craft, hospitality, fashion) and Construction (welding, building for the Agriculture and Tourism).

    To Enrol/Engage

  • Enhancing Lead Firm Structure for Youth Employment

    Duration: 5 years (Jan 2020 – Dec 2024)

    Private Sector Foundation Uganda (PSFU) is a Young Africa Works anchor partner that is implementing the Lead Firm Structure at scale. The program works across the country and targets Medium, Small and Micro Enterprises (MSMEs) that are led by young entrepreneurs.

    Services targeting youth:

    • Through mobilizing the private sector, engaging the government, policy dialogue, and integrating value chains, PSFU connects young entrepreneurs to lead firms such as large off-takers, manufacturers, distributors, and exporters.
    • Young entrepreneurs enrolled in this program receive specialized Business Development Services.
    • The catalytic fund is designed to enable young entrepreneurs to access financial products that are not provided by traditional institutions.

    To Enrol/ Engage

    To engage with PSFU, please contact

  • Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Recovery Fund

    Duration: 5 years (Oct 2021 – Sept 2026)

    Financial Sector Deepening (FSD) Uganda is a Young Africa Works partner that availing funds to Savings and Credit Cooperative Organisations (SACCOs) and financial institutions like FINCA Limited Uganda, UGAFODE Limited Uganda, EFC Limited Uganda, and Pride Microfinance Limited Uganda. These institutions provide affordable loans to Micro and Small Enterprises that are led and owned youth and young women to recover from the adverse effects of the pandemic.

    Services targeting youths:

    • Youth and women owned business can access a loan size of Minimum $ 26 (UGX 100,000) to $ 3,000 (UGX 10,000,000).
    • The Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) who offer loans to young entrepreneurs are strengthened through business disruptions, supply chain challenges, liquidity shortages, declining sales and profits among others. The MFIs then provide affordable loans to young entrepreneurs especially women whose enterprises were negatively affected by COVID -19,
    • Young entrepreneurs in Agriculture/agribusiness, Light manufacturing, Construction, Tourism, Health, Education, Trade, and Services (transport & warehousing) are prioritized as new business that demonstrate credit worthiness.

    To Enrol/ Engage

    To engage with PSFU, please contact

  • Uganda eLearning Initiative for Education Institutions

    Duration: 5 years (Nov 2021 – Oct 2026)

    CSTS, under Young Africa Works is supporting 20 Education Institutions like the FinnChurch Aid for refugees, Arua Techinical Institute, Nkumba University, Ave Maria Vocational Training & Youth Development centre, MAT ABACUS Business School, among others to implement the eLearning Initiative and the technical skills curriculum. Through this initiative, youth, refugees, young people from lower-income households will access quality and relevant education to be equipped with employability and work readiness skills.

    Services targeting youth:

    • Learners acquire skills on how to effectively use digital tools.
    • Youth entrepreneurs access an online Learning Management System (LMS) for improve on their business management skills.
    • Young people are facilitated to access affordable internet and tech devices.
    • Young people especially refugees and persons with disabilities acquire capacity building and growth trainings.
    • Learners are linked to internships and on job trainings.

    To Enrol/Engage

    To engage with CSTS, please contact

  • Next Wave

    Duration: 5 years (Nov 2021 – Oct 2026)

    The Innovation Village (TIV) is a Young Africa Works partner in Uganda targeting talented young women and men, youth entrepreneurs and refugees. Under the program Market Making for Entrepreneurs (Next wave). TIV is providing services to benefit youth in the Central, Western and Northern regions of Uganda.

    Services targeting youth:

    • Young people acquire soft skilling in business growth, employment tips, financial literacy, digital marketing, Curriculum Vitae writing and design thinking.
    • Young people are also linked to employment opportunities
    • Young entrepreneurs are linked to markets through linking product makers to available markets via online platforms.
    • Young people can access seed funding to start up and grow their businesses through KAIN and 97 fund projects at TIV.

    To Enrol/ Engage

    To engage with TIV, please contact

  • Bridge from secondary education and skills development to job opportunities for refugee and host community youth in Uganda

    Duration: 5 Years (July 2022 – June 2027)

    War Child Canada (WCC) is a Young Africa Works partner working with refugee and host communities to increase enrolment and retention of out of refugees at lower and upper secondary education. WCC works with on-ground Community Based Organization (CBOs) such as CECI, CEFORD, CIYOTA, CRSD, YASR to implement the program in the refugee settlement.

    Services targeting young people

    • Young refugees are supported to enroll into Lower Secondary Education, AEP, BTVET & Upper Secondary Education.
    • Refugee youth have an inclusive and safe learning space in AEP centers
    • Refugee youth and teachers access teaching learning and scholastic materials in AEPs. Refugee youth with an interest in business acquire tailored entrepreneurship support to ideate, start and grow their enterprises.
    • Both refugees and host communities acquire work readiness knowledge and skills.

    To Enrol/Engage

    To engage with WCC, please contact

Learn More about the Young Africa Works Strategy
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