The Agriculture-focused Dignified Employment for Youth in Ethiopia (ADEY) Program is designed to address the challenges of youth unemployment and increase their participation in the labor market, particularly in the agriculture sector. The ADEY program is implemented, in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, in eight regional states including Amhara, Central Ethiopia, Oromia, Southwest Ethiopia, Sidama, Somali, South Ethiopia, and Tigray, and in collaboration with six implementing partners (IPs). The IPs include Ethiopian Catholic Church Social Development Commission (ECC-SDC), Ethiopia Somali Development Association (EDSA), HUNDEE-Oromo Grassroots Development Initiative, Oromo Development Association (ODA), Organization for Rehabilitation and Development in Amhara-Ethiopia (ORDA-Ethiopia), and Relief Society of Tigray (REST).
The program aims to create 611,000 dignified jobs for youths (80% women) through interventions including mindset change, agribusiness and enterprise development in crops and livestock, input production and supply, digital agriculture and financial services, market linkage and creating enabling policy environment for youth employment in the sector. The participants also include youths with disabilities (4%) and internally displaced youths (6%). In terms of geographic targeting, the participants are categorized into rural (70%), peri-urban (20%) and urban (10%). The program will establish and strengthen a total of 15,000 youth enterprises (60% new and 40% existing) in agribusiness activities.
The program interventions are designed to enhance youth engagement in various agribusiness activities, and their individual and enterprise capacity development that will lead to dignified jobs through wage and self-employment pathways.