“Investing for Employment” Facility launches in Tunisia and Côte d’Ivoire

Following a pilot call in Ethiopia earlier this spring, the “Investing for Employment” (IFE) Facility launched Calls for Proposals in Côte d’Ivoire and Tunisia for projects leading to the creation of new decent jobs in these markets. In addition to contributing toward the provision of reasonable employment prospects for the future of Africa's youth, IFE aims to support the improvement of working conditions, build worker skills, employ more women and vulnerable populations, and yield a positive environmental impact.

In the inaugural call in Ethiopia, more than 200 concept notes were submitted, and today, a number of the projects from that round are finalising their agreements and preparing to begin implementation. It is expected that IFE will launch calls in several more countries in 2021, likely including Ghana, Morocco, Rwanda, or Senegal.

Private companies, associations, organisations, and government entities may all apply for funding under the Facility if they meet certain eligibility criteria. Depending on the type of project to be funded, IFE will cover 25-90% of the total cost of accepted applications. With grant sizes between €1-10 million, it is expected that the projects funded by these two calls will generate a substantial number of new jobs in Côte d’Ivoire and Tunisia.

In order to ensure that the funds are allocated most efficiently – and to project "most likely to succeed" – IFE will be running a two-stage process where applicants first submit concept notes and then the most competitive proposals will be shortlisted and asked to elaborate a full project proposal. The deadline to submit concept notes is 22 January 2021 at 17.00 CET (Berlin time).

To learn more about – or apply to – the open calls, click here for Côte d’Ivoire and here for Tunisia.