SNV's Approach to Youth Employment and Entrepreneurship
Together with our partners, SNV’s Youth Employment and Entrepreneurship (YEE) projects support young women and men aged 18-35 to enhance their agency, confidence, and employability.
Abstract
Youth unemployment stands at 13.1% globally, with the highest rates concentrated in Africa and Asia. For young people in fragile contexts and disadvantaged groups, access to economic empowerment and employment can help overcome significant barriers to entering the labour market.
This publication outlines SNV's Youth Employment and Entrepreneurship (YEE) approach to tackling this challenge by unlocking meaningful economic opportunities for young women and men aged 18–35. Using the market-led Access, Match, Grow, Enable (AMGE) framework, SNV works across agri-food, energy, and water sectors to build skills, expand market access, and strengthen enabling environments for youth-led enterprise.
Grounded in gender equality, climate resilience, and digital innovation, the approach has reached over 780,000 young people across 13 countries and supported more than 105,000 youth businesses since 2013. With key donors including the Mastercard Foundation, the EU, and Sida, SNV aims to reach 4 million young people and create 540,000 jobs by 2030.