Sierra Leone faces persistent poverty, high informality and limited job creation, disproportionately affecting women and youth. Agriculture is the largest employer, yet value chains are fragmented, processing is weak, and access to finance, quality infrastructure and certification is limited. The Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) system suffers from outdated curricula, insufficient equipment and low private sector engagement, constraining labour market relevance, especially for women and returnees.
The "Youth Employment Promotion through Socio Ecological and Economic Transformation of selected rural Value Chains" (EET project), commissioned by BMZ with EU co funding, supports inclusive, market oriented growth and better employment along selected value chains (cassava, coffee/cocoa, vegetables, poultry). It strengthens micro, small and medium sized enterprises (MSMEs) and the enabling ecosystem, with a strong focus on Women's Economic Empowerment (WEE) and youth integration.
The project applies a concise multi level approach: support MSMEs with training, coaching and finance to improve productivity and market access; strengthen ecosystem actors (finance, certification, cooperatives, processing centres) to enhance services and linkages; and upgrade TVET through demand driven Competence Based Education and Training (CBET) curricula, improved facilities at Government Technical Institutes (GTIs) in Kabala, Kailahun, Koidu and Mattru Jong, teacher capacity building and institutionalised private sector engagement for apprenticeships and certification via Industry Sector Advisory Committees.
WEE is embedded throughout. The project strengthens six representative bodies advancing women's economic rights (e.g. Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment - GEWE - Act), introduces gender transformative modules (Gender makes Business Sense - GmBS; Gender Action Learning Systems - GALS; Gender Model Family - GMF) via public and private providers, and delivers ment