Sudan - Enable Youth Program - Project II

The proposed operation is Project II of the ENABLE Youth Sudan Program (EYSP) being implemented to create business opportunities and decent employment for the Sudanese youth along priority agricultural value chains. ENABLE Youth is one of the flagship operations under the Bank’s Feed Africa Strategy for Agricultural Transformation (2016 – 2025) and Jobs for Youth in Africa Strategy (2016-2025). The Government of Sudan was among the first Regional Member Countries to participate in the Bank’s ENABLE Youth Program. The Bank approved the EYSP Project I in November 2016, which covers five states: Khartoum, Gezira, Kassala, Gedaref, and River Nile. The EYSP Project I has so far trained over 700 youth and another 1,000 are currently enrolled in various incubation programs in all the five states. Therefore, the Project I is on course to achieve its objectives of training and empowering 2,000 youth out of which 1,800 agribusinesses are expected to be established generating about 12,000 direct jobs. The EYSP Project II aims to encourage the growth of commercially viable agribusiness small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in the country by providing entrepreneurship skills, access to financing, land and markets, mentorship, and post incubation follow up and monitoring. The project seeks to achieve this objective by identifying innovative potential-oriented entrepreneurs, who are willing to pursue business opportunities in the agriculture sector. It will strive to have a demonstration or catalytic effect by encouraging a new generation of entrepreneurs to enter, grow, and advance the agribusiness sector; thus, fostering and accelerating the revival of Sudan’s agriculture sector, and helping to increase agricultural incomes, create wealth and jobs and reduce poverty. The project cost is estimated at UA 22.23 million, of which AfDB is financing UA 20.00 million or 90% and the Government of Sudan will contribute UA 2.23 million or 10%. Its implementation is expected to take five years.