Inspiring Local Solutions, Empowering youth and women in Ethiopia’s Lowlands
One of the four components of the RIPA – North program, component 2, aims to support women and youth to transition out of pastoralism by promoting diverse, sustainable economic opportunities. It addresses labor market dynamics that drive employment and entrepreneurship opportunities for people transitioning out of pastoralism in lowlands of Afar, Oromia and Somali Regions of Ethiopia.
The three main objectives of the economic opportunities provision component are as follows
- To improve the business enabling environment and the ability of ToPs to create successful businesses and employment opportunities.
- To increase the number of viable, eco-friendly economic opportunities for ToPs; and
- To improve access to finance for pastoral households and TOPs.
To achieve these objectives, Component 2 has several sub-components or services that are designed to work in a coordinated fashion but can also work independently for specific types of stakeholders. Each service is delivered through a set of initiatives. The component’s overall working hypothesis is that through a combination of these services, youth transitioning out of pastoralism or school will find dignified employment or set up successful businesses.
This is an ambitious component that demands significant creativity, risk-taking and experimentation from the RIPA team and its partners. The multi-sectoral nature of job transition processes, and the strong influence of human, social and psychological factors along the journey of ToPs towards new job opportunities makes this component particularly challenging but also equally interesting.
