Capacity Building in the field of Youth in Sub-Saharan Africa

The expected impact focuses on improving the capacity of youth organisations, particularly in eligible third countries not associated to the Programme in Region 9 (Sub Saharan Africa) to:

• improve the involvement of young people in democratic life, in terms of active citizenship and engagement with decision-makers (empowerment, new skills, involvement of young people in project design, etc.);
• improve the entrepreneurial and innovative capacities of young people;
• work transnationally while ensuring inclusiveness, solidarity and sustainability;
• promote and contribute to transnational learning and cooperation between young people and decision makers;
• upscale existing practices and outreach beyond the partnership, including making good use of digital means to stay connected under all circumstances even in situations of remoteness, isolation or confinement;
• link their results to local communities, creating job opportunities and nurturing innovative ideas that could be replicated and scaled up;
• demonstrate inclusion and accessibility of target groups with fewer opportunities and individuals;
• Youth Exchanges or Youth Participation Activities shall be planned and shall support the empowerment of African youth, e.g. for sustainable employability and active citizenship, as well as increase policy dialogue, coordination and valorisation of cooperation between African and European partners.

Capacity-building in the field of youth projects are international cooperation projects based on multilateral partnerships between organisations active in the field of youth in the EU and countries associated to the Programme, on the one hand, and in third countries not associated to the Programme, on the other hand. For the latter, this action targets exclusively countries in Region 9 (Sub Saharan Africa).

Projects shall aim both at, on one hand, supporting international cooperation in the field of youth and non-formal learning, as a driver of sustainable socio-economic development and well-being among youth organisations and young people and, on the other, at promoting the mobility of young people to encourage their active participation in society as well as to help them acquire and develop competences for life and for their professional future. In specific, projects shall:

• Raise the capacity of organisations working with young people outside formal learning;
• Promote non-formal learning in the eligible third countries not associated to the Programme, especially in organisations that target young people with fewer opportunities (through the development, testing and launching of schemes and programmes of non-formal learning mobility in Partner countries);
• Support the development of youth work in the eligible third countries not associated to the Programme;
• Contribute to the achievement of the goals of the Youth Mobility for Africa flagship initiative. This initiative is part of the Global Gateway Africa-Europe Investment Package to increase strategic engagement between the EU and Africa on learning mobility and youth on both continents. The initiative contributes to the Youth Action Plan in External Action (2022-2027) and the commitments made at the 6th EU-African Union Summit in 2022.
• Foster interregional cooperation;
• Enhance synergies and complementarities with formal education systems.