Press Release
May 20, 2021 • 4 min read
Women, people living with disabilities, and refugees to be supported through the Young Africa Works in Uganda – Markets for Youth Programme
GOAL has launched a transformative programme which will enable 300,000 young rural Ugandans in accessing dignified and fulfilling work in the agricultural sector over the next five years.
Under theMastercard Foundation Young Africa Works in Uganda – Markets for Youth Programme, GOAL will target 210,000 young women and 90,000 young men between the ages of 16 and 35 years in 18 Districts in Uganda. This includes 30,000 refugees and 15,000 young people living with disabilities.
In addition, the programme will reach 600,000 people indirectly by partnering with the private sector to expand and adapt their business models to develop new products and services for young farmers.
Under its wider Young Africa Works in Uganda strategy, the Mastercard Foundation has committed $USD200 million over the next 10 years to support three million young women, men, and refugees in Uganda with access to work opportunities in agriculture, tourism and hospitality, and construction/housing.
Under Young Africa Works, GOAL will work with a range of private sector partners, including small and medium enterprises, corporate businesses, and social investors to adopt a market systems development approach to improve people’s lives.
The programme will support young people in:
- accessing financial services and products;
- skills training in practice and management of farm enterprises;
- accessing and participating in activities in the agricultural market system; and,
- collaborating to increase purchasing and influencing power in the agricultural market system.
Speaking at the launch event, Samuel Yalew Adela, Country Head, Uganda, at the Mastercard Foundation, said: “Young people in Uganda are among the most enterprising in the world. With the right support, they are ready to bring that energy and innovation to the agricultural sector—an engine of our economy—not just to improve their own lives, but to improve the lives of their families, the well-being of communities, and the resilience of the country.”
The Programme Director for Young Africa Works in Uganda, Netsaalem Gebrie, said: “Agriculture provides the biggest opportunity for employment in Uganda. By applying a market systems development approach, GOAL is aiming to transform the sector, so agriculture becomes an attractive business venture for young women and men all over the country.”
GOAL CEO, Siobhan Walsh, said: “We are delighted to partner with the Mastercard Foundation on this important initiative, which will empower hundreds of thousands of young people in Uganda, and provide them with long lasting opportunities. Uganda currently has the second youngest population in the world with over 78% below 30 years of age, second only to Niger’s 83%, according to the United National Development Programme (UNDP). There is important alignment between GOAL and the Mastercard Foundation in supporting communities that have limited access to opportunities, especially women, refugees, and people with disabilities. We look forward to enabling young people to create new futures through access to dignified and fulfilling work.”
About GOAL Uganda
Established in 1977, GOAL is an international humanitarian and development agency, committed to working with communities to achieve sustainable and innovative early response in crises, and lasting solutions to poverty and vulnerability. GOAL has worked in over 60 countries and responded to almost every major humanitarian disaster. We are currently operational in 13 countries globally.
GOAL has been working in Uganda since 1979 and is currently implementing programmes that build community resilience and support socio-economic development with a focus on water, sanitation and hygiene, nutrition, health systems strengthening and agricultural market systems. For more information please visit: www.goalglobal.org/countries/uganda
About the Mastercard Foundation
The Mastercard Foundation works with visionary organizations to enable young people in Africa and in Indigenous communities in Canada to access dignified and fulfilling work. It is one of the largest private foundations in the world with a mission to advance learning and promote financial inclusion to create an inclusive and equitable world. The Foundation was created by Mastercard in 2006 as an independent organization with its own Board of Directors and management. For more information on the Foundation, please visit: www.mastercardfdn.org
Young Africa Works is Mastercard Foundation’s strategy to enable 30 million young people, particularly young women, across Africa to access dignified and fulfilling work with 3 million in Uganda by 2030. To realize this vision, the Foundation aims to contribute to the development of strong education and training systems that prepare young people for work, effective labour markets that link young people to opportunities, and strong financial and key sector markets that drive productivity and link young people to work opportunities.
