Transcript Slide 1

GRADEL(GROUP OF LOCAL
DEVELOPMENT ACTION's)
Creating Youth Employment Projects
in Emerging Sectors
Message from the Executive Director
Dear Friends
The Group of Local Development Action’s is a group of
research and from action on the development was born in 2003. It
is given like vocation to use new communication and information
technologies for development ,the eradication of poverty, youth
employment and achieving the Millennium Development Goals.
The 4th to 5th of March 2003, OECD, within the framework
of its world forum on the economy of the knowledge organized
with the United Nations and the World Bank, a forum on the topic
"To integrate communication and information technology in the
programs of development was the inciting element because ICT
play from now on a determining part. It revolutionize our way of
thinking, to work, live by reducing the times and the costs of
communication, ICT makes possible the diffusion and the
exchange of information abundant, relevant, brought up to date
and directly useful for the development. Our work consists in
supporting initiatives of development having a strong economic
and social impact while making available reliable information.
Now is the time to strengthen the efforts of GRADEL by pulling
together ICT4YOUTH, and GRADEL will work to build capacity of
young people, all other partners in the ICT’s will stand up and play
their part. Please view this as just a concept note that needs your
comments and support.
In solidarity Owalakin B.BELLO
Table of Contents
1. The Twin Opportunities
2. The GRADEL Campaign’s Solution
3. The GRADEL Campaign Fund
4. Sector Solutions
5. GRADEL Background Information
GRADEL
GRADEL
1. The Twin Opportunities
The Twin Opportunities
GRADEL
Developing countries currently face two sets of pressing problems:
Sector Development Needs
• Renewable Energy: 2 billion people
lack access to energy/electricity
• Water & Sanitation: 2.5 billion people
lack access to clean water and
sanitation
• Rural Development: 60% of the
developing world still live in rural areas
• Information & Communication
Technologies: barely 2% of the world
population has internet access
• HIV/Aids: 95% of the estimated 38
million people infected with HIV live in
developing countries
Youth Unemployment
• There are currently 1 billion young
people between the ages of 15-24

850 million of these are living in
developing countries
• Over the next 30 years, this number will
increase by another 1.2 billion, mostly
in developing countries
• Young people are cognizant of the
inequities of the global system, and are
susceptible to association with the
negative forces in their communities
• It is critical that youth employment
opportunities are developed
Imagine if we could solve both of these problems at once?
GRADEL
Unemployment of youth has far-reaching implications on the labour
market and the society at large. Youth unemployment contributes to
economic exclusion and poverty and increases the probability of future
joblessness. Youth unemployment results in the loss of a valuable
contribution to economic activity and growth from one of the most
productive elements in society. It obstructs the movement of young
people from adolescence to adulthood and in turn is a major cause of
crime and drug abuse. High levels of youth unemployment can also lead
to alienation from society and distrust of democratic political processes.
As a result, social cohesion is undermined.”
International Labour Organization’s World Employment Report 1998/99
GRADEL
2. The GRADEL Campaign’s Solution
Introduction to the GRADEL
Campaign
GRADEL
• The GRADEL Campaign was launched in BENIN in the post -NATIONAL FORUM for YOUTH
EMPLOYMEN under the patronage of President YAYI BONI in 8th to 10 th Mars 2007 by GRADEL
delegates.
• The campaign was launched in response to the enormous global challenge of youth
unemployment affecting millions of young people around BENIN the goals to

build the capacity of young people to create sustainable livelihoods

establish an entrepreneurial culture where youth will work towards self employment
• Today, we are planning to establish Networks work with stakeholder groups such as the
government, business, academics, NGOs, UN agencies etc. to develop programs, and
suggest policies for promoting youth employment
• These GRADEL Networks will be supported by our potential partners.
• Additionally, the GRADEL Campaign works with national and global partners to develop
and deploy effective programs that realize the following objectives

Develop capacity of youth to lead in-country youth employment initiatives

Promote (in-country) youth employment to address key development challenges

Build in-country coalitions to develop national strategies addressing youth
unemployment
We have placed the issue of youth employment on the global agenda.
GRADEL
The Evolution of the GRADEL Campaign
2003
Identifying the
issues
Building
consensus
Generating
ideas
2007
Creating a
platform that
inspire youth
and
development of
Networks
Advocacy with
leaders and
institutions
Identifying
sectors for
employment and
doing pilot work
2008
• Building
Partnerships
• Creating
employment
generation
models in
GRADEL
Network
2012
• Replicating and
scaling up
employment
generating
programs
• Building incountry selfreliance
Establishing the
GRADEL
information
center hub for
generating
employment
We are creating great progress in building knowledge and infrastructure.
The 10 GRADEL Networks
GRADEL
…are youth-led national-level coalitions focused
on promoting youth employment
Manifesting two core design principles that drive the GRADEL Campaign’s work

the recognition that no one individual or institution can do the work alone;
working in partnership is essential

our belief in building self reliance and absorption capacity in our GRADEL
Network countries
Networks exist from Natitingou to Cotonou!
JOIN US
There is a Youth Event organized somewhere in the world every other
day!
GRADEL
We are establishing new
partnership around the
world
Afghanistan
Albania
Angola
Argentina
Armenia
Australia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Bangladesh
Benin
Bhutan
Bolivia
Brazil
Bulgaria
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cameroon
Canada
Chad
Chile
Colombia
Costa Rica
Cote D’Ivoire
Dominican Republic
Egyp
El Salvador
Gambia
Georgia
Ghana
Guatemala
Guinea Bissau
Guyana
Haiti
Honduras
India
Iran
Jordan
Kenya
Liberia
Malaysia
Malawi
Mali
Mauritius
Mexico
Moldova
Mozambique
Namibia
Nepal
Nigeria
Pakistan
Panama
Paraguay
Philippines
Peru
Romania
Rwanda
Senegal
Serbia & Montenegro
Sierra Leone
Somalia
South Africa
Swaziland
Tanzania
Togo
Uganda
USA
Uruguay
Zambia
Zimbabwe
GRADEL Global Activities
GRADEL
Outreach & Engagement
• Building strategic alliances and fostering partnerships – Over 1000 members of the
GRADEL Global Alliance
• Seeking and developing programs – Over 100 programs and projects
• Communicating information about youth employment and the GRADEL Campaign through
newsletters, press releases, the website, electronic discussion groups, toolkits, and
publications. Partner publication. Over 50 original publications
• Organizing regional and national training workshops and Forums.
Knowledge Development
• Designing and implementing youth employment pilot projects centered around the
Campaign’s five key sectors
• Conducting policy analysis and publishing policy briefs
• Managing the Global Knowledge Resource (GKR) a resource database and communication
medium where all stakeholders of youth employment can share and access innovative
initiatives, useful toolkits, and comprehensive research and publications
• Managing the GRADEL, information center hub for youth employment initiatives located
in Cotonou
We are at the forefront of youth unemployment advocacy and research.
GRADEL Global Activities
GRADEL
Capacity Building
• Supporting the formation and development of GRADEL Networks, youth-led entities
comprised of diverse stakeholders groups committed to the issue of promoting youth
employment
• Creating the GRADEL Networks in the following activities:

Consultations: Hosting national level consultations with governments, private sector,
academic institutions, education and training organizations and NGOS and youth groups to
build the national coalition for youth employment

Partnership Building: Building partnerships for developing and implementing projects

Action Plans: Preparing country action plans and reports to inform stakeholders

Entrepreneurship Development: Promoting an entrepreneurial culture through
workshops and materials; developing programs to provide business development services
to young people; working with banks and government agencies to provide credit and to
provide credit and other services to youth

Understanding Markets: Understanding the needs of the market place and creating
products and services to serve the market and to help in enterprise development

Mobilizing Resources: Building the capacity of GRADEL Network leadership to identify
needs, develop projects, build partnerships, mobilize resources and implement projects

Build Absorption Capacity: Working to make the YES Networks sustainable and effective
and able to absorb the resources available for its development
We excel in a catalyzing youth-led employment creation programs.
GRADEL
3. The GRADEL Fund
For Youth Employment
Our Request
GRADEL
Invest in the GRADEL Fund
Creating Markets
“Let us be clear. Half-educated, unemployed youth, with
no prospect of being integrated into a better future is a
prescription for disaster. If young people do not have a
stake in the existing social order and political order, if
they do not feel there is a way for them, why should
they sacrifice today for a better tomorrow? Why should
they have an interest in protecting the stability and
social safety of that system?”
Unleashing Entrepreneurship
Dr. Ismail Serageldin, Vice President, World Bank, 1999
The Problem:
Over one billion youth in the labor market
No real jobs in the public or private sectors
Solution:
What will the GRADEL Fund do:
Offer a mix of grants, loans and technical assistance to young entrepreneurs
Support will be offered to those countries that have arranged matching funds
YOU CAN invest as a

A traditional philanthropic donor

A micro-finance creditor

A venture capital angel investor

A private donor at any level comfortable for you…it will take all of US!
We seek your help in raising a fund to turn our knowledge into action.
Replicating INITIATIVE
We need a New Deal for Youth
Employment
What is Missing… is the WILL
…will we?
GRADEL
“The YES Campaign recognizes that it is only
through employment, that we can accomplish
conditions of freedom, democracy and equity,
where youth can live in dignity and relate to the
society and the environment in a truly
sustainable way”.
-Dr. Mohamed T El Ashry, CEO GEF,
September 2002

Renewable Energy: The UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the Global
Environment Facility have worked with us to train and develop RE entrepreneurs

Water & Sanitation: With the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) and
others, we are currently developing a plan to develop income-generating programs in this sector

Rural Development: The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), the Youth
Employment Network (YEN), UNIDO, and the YES Campaign are preparing a project for East Africa
for promoting agribusiness among youth

Information & Communication Technologies: With the IT department of the Ministry of
Technology in India the YES Campaign is proposing to set up 200 Knowledge Centers to train
youth in ICT skills, and serve as an information hub for local communities

HIV/AIDS: YES Campaign staff has worked with the USAID-funded program Equip 3 in Southern
Africa to prepare a livelihoods based strategy for prevention
The Campaign is uniquely positioned to leverage your investment.
GRADEL
Overview of the Fund
Fund Goals
To create jobs for unemployed youth in the 5 development sectors
Investment
Options
DONATIONS
LOANS
EQUITY
Investment
Beneficiary
Knowledge &
Training
Individual Youth
Entrepreneurs
New or Growing
Enterprises
Investment
Use
• Fund “knowledge
and employment
centers” that
provide job-skills
training classes
and practical
experience
• Provide small
loans (with
interest return)
to local youth
entrepreneurs
looking to start
businesses
• Provide capital
and strategic
advice to young
and growing
businesses in
return for an
ownership stake
Job Creation
Impact
• Prepare youth
for the working
world
• Help build youth
employment
opportunities
• Create many
new jobs as
businesses grow
The Fund will offer various avenues for investment and return.
Donations Investments
GRADEL
• The GRADEL Campaign needs your investment to help strengthen local infrastructure for
developing young entrepreneurs
• The donations will be used to create Knowledge and Research centers that will offer

Youth Leadership Training

Green Enterprise Training

Social Entrepreneurship Training

Fundraising Training

Livelihoods Internship Programs
• As well as supporting youth in

Youth Led Innovative Program Implementation

Seed Grant Projects for Entrepreneurship Development

Developing multi-stakeholder partnerships for program design

Building local capacity for program implementation

Using new technologies for livelihood generation

Community Driven Development

Designing Collaborative Projects
Donations will impact scores of youth creating employment programs.
Loans Investments
GRADEL
• We will work with you to select the young people and train then to design business
solutions in the five development sectors

Renewable Energy

Water & Sanitation

Rural Development

Information & Communication Technologies

HIV/AIDS
• The GRADEL Fund seeks to provide the start-up capital to help these entrepreneurs
launch their business ideas
• Many of these investments will be made in the form of micro-credit loans that will offer
investors both a return of principal and interest
• Micro-credit has been proven to act as a catalyst for both new employment-generating
ventures and reliable investor returns
• The GRADEL Campaign will leverage its local knowledge and experience as well as
commercial and government partnerships to implement this investment initiative
Loans to young entrepreneurs will spur crucial development solutions.
Equity Investments
GRADEL
• In the medium-term, many of the development projects inspired and supported by
GRADEL Campaign initiatives will be in phases of fruition and growth
• The GRADEL Campaign Fund aims to be in a position to provide significant capital to
young and growing enterprises to further our two goals of creating employment and
developing sector infrastructure
• Because the GRADEL Campaign prefers market-based solutions and understands that
hand-outs are not the best long-term answer, the Fund will make capital contributions in
the form of equity
• These contributions will ensure aligned incentives, long-term sustainability and an
investment return to our investors
• Additionally, our investors can leverage their business backgrounds and provide strategic
advice to the youth entrepreneurs
• Creating a culture of market-driven ownership and investment will catalyze long-term
systemic change in the developing world
Equity investments are the final step in ensuring lasting enterprises.
GRADEL
GRADEL Fund - Governance
GRADEL will choose the best Bank that profile is to mobilizes market capital and
philanthropic investment for development enterprise, will be acts as trustee for funds
ensuring compliance with business standards and regulatory requirements, screens and
selects opportunities for funding, oversees grant-making and investment into youth
enterprise, and reports back to donors and investors.
Advisory
The Board advises on all Board
Bank
Trustees
aspects of philanthropic &
market investment and
capacity building
Donors
Bank LLP
Bank Trustees
channels donations to
charitable aspects of
GRADEL Campaign
network
Bank LLP mobilizes for-profit
micro-finance investment
and acts as equity partner
for selected GRADEL
enterprises
GRADEL Campaign orchestrates
action in the in-country networks
Youth
Enterprise
Strong Governance is critical for investor and donor confidence
GRADEL
4. Sector Solutions
Renewable Energy
GRADEL
• Organize young people at the community level to assemble, install, service and market
renewable energy systems
• Provide renewable energy entrepreneurship training and seed grants or access to
microfinance credit for innovative youth to launch their own renewable energy enterprise
such as

providing energy for agro-based industries for making fruit pulp and juices, pickles,
and drying vegetables

manufacturing of home lighting systems - lights, fans and small refrigerators for
storing medication, milk

Designing and installing small power plants for institutions

maintenance of renewable energy systems and selling and installing small home
systems such as solar panels

manufacturing of solar lanterns for fishing activities during the night and renewable
energy based ICTs to enhance access to income generation opportunities, especially
in rural areas

solar cookers

installation and maintenance of solar powered community facilities in rural areas
Rural Development (On-Farm and Off-Farm)
GRADEL
• Orient agricultural extension programs towards youth, which includes

preparing then to set up small enterprises

working with credit institutions to help youth build productive assets such as land,
livestock, equipment and others

vocational training, micro-entrepreneurship in the curriculum targeting young
women

identifying, natural resource based micro enterprises, and offering rural youth
business development services to start such enterprises

building an understanding of how agro-business value chains work and supporting
rural youth entrepreneurs in producing value-added farm products
Water & Sanitation
GRADEL
• Integrate youth in community management processes to improve the availability and
supply of clean drinking water, sanitation services, and environmental conditions through

research, develop and disseminate information on water and sanitation sector, to
inform and support behavioral change at the village level

support income-generating programs in rain water-harvesting, storage and supply

organizing community level training for youth to build and maintain low cost toilets
in rural areas and tackle the sanitation needs of people in villages

training youth to build and maintain hand pumps to provide water supply to rural
communities
Information Communication Technology
GRADEL
• Develop programs to support ICT-based entrepreneurship through

Knowledge Centers that provide information and a business development network
that seeks to link youth entrepreneurs, interns, investors, incubators with each other

“Youth in Business Centers” to support developing business ideas, explore credit
options and financial management, and assist in marketing, product development

training youth in web based services such as website development and e-marketing

training youth as educators and mentors for distance learning and business
development

supporting agriculture though ICT tools

incorporating the use of ICTs to support the educational programs for the students of
the elementary and middle schools in the communities
Reproductive Health & HIV/Aids
GRADEL
• Improve the reproductive health and family planning choices of women through

life skills and leadership trainings with reproductive health messages embedded

providing vocational, professional and entrepreneurial trainings

conducting pilot programs to evaluate the correlation between economic
empowerment and improved reproductive health status

improve the livelihood opportunities of youth living with HIV/AIDS - training them in
“positive living”, peer/educators/mentors, establishing a support and mentorship
network

strengthen services by introducing a greater focus on youth livelihood initiatives, and
supporting the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the delivery of
youth-friendly HIV/AIDS and reproductive heath services
GRADEL
5. GRADEL Background
Information
GRADEL Campaign
Leadership
GRADEL
Campaign Committee
• Saturnin KOSSOU President ONG DPD( Dialogue for Peace and Development) President of
DPD Network
• Gbenga Adebusuyi FOUNDER of WIRE AFRICA President of Economic Forum Africa-USA
Executive Director
Owalakin B.BELLO
GRADEL (Group of Local Development Action’s)
c/1365 Ste-Rita
072BP238 Cotonou-Benin
Tel. +229 97898504
Fax.+229 21302278
Email: [email protected]
These Recent Project
Successes in YES NETWORK
can be replicate
GRADEL
India - The UNIDO/India Renewable Energy (RE) project had 4 major outcomes:
• Created a RE Center for Excellence at the SRT Rural Institute (SRTRI), in Andhra Pradesh
• Established a Solar Laboratory at SRTRI
• Trained about 100 young people as technicians and entrepreneurs in RE
• Worked with Shell Solar and other businesses to tailor the curriculum to their needs, and
almost 40 percent of the trainees were hired by private business
Zambia - UNIDO/Zambia Renewable Energy (RE) project had 4 major outcomes:
• The creation of a RE lab at the Elias Mutale Training Centre, in Kasama, Zambia
• Training 50 Master Trainers in renewable energy enterprise development, and an
additional 250 youth trained by these master trainers
• A microfinance plan developed for the government
• A vibrant RE enterprise development network created of institutions, experts, NGOs,
youth, membership drawn from all 23 districts in Zambia
Global Environment Facility (GEF) – The Renewable Energy Fellowship program:
• 5 Youth selected in competitive process (from Georgia, Ghana, India, Malawi, Peru)
• Training delivered in renewable energy, leadership and entrepreneurship
• Business planning assistance and start-up funding provided for businesses in
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



Portable Photovoltaic Panels Production and Distribution
Wind Power Mills and Turbines for Farming
Solar Equipment –lanterns, box cookers
Wind Energy to Pump Water for Communities
Bio-digesters and Solar Cookers through Bio-mass
The GRADEL Framework for Action
GRADEL
Equity
Employability
Entrepreneurship
Employment
Generation
Environmental
Empowerment Sustainability
of Youth
GRADEL
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THIS PRESENTATION WAS INSPIRED BY YES (Youth Employment Summit)
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