Strengthening of socio-economic participation of IDPs, refugees, and vulnerable host population in Mali (PAPSE)
Context
Poverty and lack of prospects in Mali primarily affect young people, especially refugees and IDPs, and the vulnerable local population who are socially, economically and politically disadvantaged. Despite a liberal refugee law, practical obstacles such as physical distance, language barriers and lack of networks often stand in the way of refugees‘ access to the education system and the labour market.
Project description
The Technical Cooperation Module Objective under BMZ’s Special Initiative ‘Forced Displacement’ is to improve the conditions for decent, productive employment of IDPs, refugees and the vulnerable Host Population (HP) in selected municipalities in Mali (in total 15 in the regions of Kayes, Ségou and metropolitan area of Bamako).
The module is seeking to overcome one of the most significant constraints on broad-based economic growth in Mali – namely, the inability of almost all Internally Displaced People (IDPs), refugees and HP1 to access (vocational) skills training and resources necessary for participation and growth. The project hypothesis is that, if this constraint can be reduced, the Target Group (TG) will be able to gain employment and/or start their own small business and, as a result, improve their livelihood and become financially more sustainable, lessen the burden on HPs and thus live peacefully in a socially cohesive manner.
The consortium AMBERO-GOPA is responsible for achieving Output 1 and Output 2 (contribution). Improving social cohesion among the TG is sought to be achieved through ‘improving access of TG to vocational and social qualification measures geared towards the Target Groups‘s and labor market needs’ (Output 1) and by contributing to improving the TG’s access to income generation opportunities (Output 2). The contractor is directly responsible for at least 1,000 people from the TG having access to training measures by October 2023 out of which 480 have created their Micro or Small Enterprise (MSME) by February 2024 (50% of these participants must be women). Furthermore, Output 1 and 2 share a target that vocational and social qualification measures have been introduced and/or improved in 15 municipalities, and in at least 6 cooperatives (2 in each region) in Kayes, Ségou and Bamako and Capacity Development measures implemented for Business Development Services providers.
The project specifically aims to provide quality training, based on accredited curricula, in demanded sectors (Agriculture, Livestock, Animal Husbandry, Textile, potentially Mining, Tourism, Hospitality Management and Telecommunication) that boosts economic development on municipal level.
Regional and Economic Development
Client: GIZ
Period: 11.2020 – 11.2023
Country: Mali
Services
The main tasks and services in selected municipalities are:
- Conceptualization and implementation of local employment and labour market analysis;
- Participatory development of gender-sensitive approaches, adapted to target groups’ needs which help to identify further qualification needs;
- Capacity building of municipalities to coordinate project activities and constructive conflict management. Provide advice on local development planning with a view to promote socio-economic participation;
- Adaptation / development of curricula for digital and/or decentralized and/or mobile short-term qualification measures (e.g. literacy and life skills courses incl. modules on conflict transformation, job application training, professional appearance at the workplace etc.);
- Improving training services including transforming a vocational training center for the TG to pursue Training of trainers and multipliers on teaching methods (e.g. gender sensitive, violence-free conflict transformation) as well as technical training;
- Implementation of decentralized, short-term (possibly digital) qualification measures (incl. literacy and life skills courses incl. modules on conflict transformation, job application training, professional appearance at the workplace etc.)
- Implementation of centre based, medium- or long-term qualification measures in sectors / on topics relevant for target groups’ needs;
- Conceptualization and implementation of local, gender- and conflict-sensitive market-and value-chain analysis with focus on potential for employment of the project’s target groups;
- Conceptualization and implementation of capacity needs assessments of cooperatives and business development service providers (e.g. chambers, business associations, incubators) in the selected municipalities;
- Conceptualization and implementation of gender- and conflict sensitive capacity development measures (based on the above-mentioned needs assessments) for newly established and/or already existing cooperatives and business development service providers (e.g. chambers, business associations, incubators). Support for cooperatives can be e.g. in terms of product diversification, market access etc.;
- Career Counselling and advice labor market needs for both job placement and enterprise development.