The MasterCard Foundation has announced a five-year, $74 million initiative to help economically disadvantaged youth in Ghana and Uganda secure sustainable livelihoods.

A partnership of the MasterCard Foundation, Global Communities, GOAL, NCBA CLUSA, the Overseas Development Institute, Solidaridad, and others, the Youth Forward Initiative will work to reach more than two hundred thousand people between the ages of 15 and 24 who are living on less than $2 a day; are out of school, unemployed, or underemployed; and are seeking quality employment or the opportunity to start their own businesses. The model will use a holistic approach that combines market-relevant skills training, mentorship, internships, and access to financial services to help young people in the two countries transition out of poverty and into jobs in the agricultural and construction sectors, which have the highest potential for employment growth.

The initiative will be implemented through four consortia comprising twenty-eight organizations. In Ghana, Solidaridad and Global Communities will lead efforts to create business and job opportunities in the cocoa and construction sectors, respectively, while in Uganda, GOAL and NCBA CLUSA will lead consortia working to connect young people to employment and entrepreneurship opportunities in the agricultural sector. ODI, along with Development Research and Training in Uganda and Participatory Development Associates in Ghana, will generate critical learning about the initiative.

"The scale and scope of the Youth Forward Initiative presents an exciting opportunity to learn more about the needs of young people and how to improve economic opportunities for them across different sectors and regional contexts," said Peace Nganwa, the initiative's coordinator for development research and training. "The learning partnership will facilitate conversation and learning between implementing partners, the private sector, and government, working to ensure that research and evidence inform their decision making."