Big Win launches new partnership with the Government of Côte d’Ivoire to help accelerate efforts to create 3.4 million jobs for youth by 2025
Big Win Philanthropy is pleased to announce a new partnership with the Government of Côte d’Ivoire, which aims to accelerate the creation of job opportunities for young people across the country.
Every year, 400,000 young people enter the labor market in Côte d’Ivoire. To ensure that these young Ivorians can find employment—and benefit from the country’s impressive economic growth—the government developed a National Youth Integration and Employment Strategy (SNIEJ 2021-2025). The strategy aims to integrate 3.4 million young people into professional opportunities by 2025, while harnessing their energy and skills to transform the Ivorian economy into a knowledge-based economy.
To support this objective, Big Win has partnered with the government to develop a program to create 1 million jobs in three targeted districts—Abidjan, Lacs, and Yamoussoukro—which collectively make up 30-40% of the total population of Côte d’Ivoire.
The partnership will focus on five key areas:
- Validating the government’s territorialization strategy, ensuring that the benefits of job creation are widespread and that strategies are tailored to regional economies.
- Optimizing employability and integration programs for young people.
- Building on the strong culture of data use and progress tracking within the government and creating an integrated monitoring and evaluation system.
- Strengthening coordination mechanisms and ensuring streamlined collaboration across sectors and levels of government.
- Ensuring productive, two-way communication between the government and young people who will benefit from the program.
Under the leadership of Prime Minister Patrick Achi and Minister of Youth Promotion, Professional Integration, and Civic Service Mamadou Touré, the ambitious effort will involve multiple ministries and agencies including the Ministry of Technical and Vocational Training; the Ministry of Employment and Social Protection; the Directorate of Youth Empowerment, Professional Integration and Cooperation (DAJIPC); the Youth Employment Agency; and the Employment Program Coordination Office (BCP-Emploi).
To inspire cross-sectoral collaboration between these agencies, key ministers will be invited to take part in a site visit to a groundbreaking youth employment program being rolled out by the Oromia Regional Government in Ethiopia, with support from Big Win. During the visit, the ministers will learn from the regional government’s approach to identifying key levers for driving impact and bolstering cross-sectoral collaboration.
The program will also be implemented in close coordination with the Minister Governors of the Abidjan, Lacs, and Yamoussoukro regions. To support these leaders to hone their visions for their regions, they have been invited to take part in the African Mayoral Leadership Initiative (AMALI), a game-changing program focused on supporting the transformation of cities in Africa. Through the program, they will have the opportunity to network with fellow city leaders from across the continent, receive mentorship and support from coaches who have walked in their shoes, and access tailored support from the AMALI Urban Governance Research Lab.
Speaking about the new partnership, Hon. Mamadou Touré, Minister for the Promotion of Youth, Professional Integration and Civic Service, said: “Young people are the future of Côte d’Ivoire. It is our duty to ensure that they have access to job opportunities—and that they are equipped with the skills they need to succeed in the world of work. I am delighted to announce this new partnership with Big Win, and I am confident that our collaboration will accelerate the achievement of our job creation goals.”
Big Win CEO, Dr. Kesete Admasu, added: “Investing in young people is critical to Côte d’Ivoire’s continued economic growth. Through this partnership, we aim to help the government unlock the potential of the next generation, ensuring that it becomes an engine of future prosperity.”