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Eswatini Youth Employment Opportunities Project
The Government of the Kingdom of Eswatini, with support from the World Bank, has developed the Eswatini Youth Employment Opportunities Project (EYEOP), a 5-years national, multi-sectoral initiative that seeks to expand income-earning opportunities for Eswatini youth. EYEOP aims to strengthen employability, promote entrepreneurship and support inclusive, resilient livelihoods for youth across the country. The project delivers a comprehensive economic inclusion package, including market-relevant skills training, business development support, access to finance and integration into value chains.
Project Development Objective (PDO)
The PDO is to increase income earning opportunities for targeted youth in Eswatini and achievement of the PDO will be measured using the following three main PDO indicators (PDIs):
- Increased income-earning opportunities among targeted youth
- Youth beneficiaries with increased earnings at least six months after receiving project interventions (percentage, disaggregated by gender and disability status).
- Increased access to employment opportunities among targeted youth
- Youth beneficiaries in wage or self-employment at least six months after receiving project interventions (percentage, disaggregated by gender and disability status).
- Increased capacity for targeting youth beneficiaries through the national social registry
- Number of youth profiled in the social registry (number, disaggregated by gender and disability status).
- Youth beneficiaries satisfied with project interventions (percentage, disaggregated by gender and disability status).
Project Components
Component 1: Youth Income-Earning Opportunities
- Subcomponent 1.1: : Income-earning opportunities for youth in agriculture and related services in both on-farm and off-farm activities (implemented by EWADE and targeting to support 20,000 youth by year 5)
- Subcomponent 1.2: Employable skills for youth in apprenticeships in construction and related trades (implemented Microprojects Unit and targeting to support 10,000 youth by year 5)
Component 2: Strengthening Social Protection Targeting and Delivery Systems (implemented by DPMO)
Component 3: Project Management, Monitoring, and Evaluation (implemented by MEPD)
The project is expected to directly benefit up to 30,000 disadvantaged young Emaswati aged 18-35 years across all four regions of the Kingdom of Eswatini. It will target youth who meet the following eligible criteria:
- Are not in education, employment, or training (NEET), or
- Are engaged in vulnerable or low-productivity work, such as informal self-employment, unpaid family work, or work in small/subsistence household enterprises.
In addition, all beneficiaries must:
- Be residents of one of the four regions of Eswatini.
- Demonstrate interest and potential in agribusiness or related services within the agriculture value chain, or
- Have an interest in acquiring employable skills related to the development and maintenance of community assets.
