Agility, a leader in supply chain services, innovation and investment, and the International Rescue Committee (IRC), an organization that provides emergency aid and long-term assistance to populations affected by conflict and other catastrophes, have partnered to provide entrepreneurship and life skills training to youth in Côte d’Ivoire.
As part of the IRC’s Strengthening Opportunities for Youth Project (PRO-Jeunes), which also receives funding from the Mastercard Foundation and the Schneider Electric Foundation, 380 young people will be trained at Agility’s Logistics Park in Abidjan. The training focuses on financial management, entrepreneurship, gender equality awareness, and business plan development support. At the end of the program, students will have access to financial resources to start a business or will receive help finding jobs. The program also offers a vocational training track, focusing on agriculture or information and communications technology.
The Agility-IRC partnership is intended to help young people in Abidjan between the ages of 15 and 30, and at least 60% of participants are expected to be female.
Geoffrey White, CEO of Agility Logistics Parks Africa, said: “Agility has continuously supported education through the global initiatives of its sustainability program. It is extremely important to provide youth with the necessary tools and resources to increase their chances to find suitable jobs and secure their futures. In Côte d’Ivoire and elsewhere, we aim to work closely with our partners at IRC to make sure students receive the support they need to grow in their fields.”
Patrice Boa, Economic Recovery and Development Coordinator, International Rescue Committee – Côte d’Ivoire, said, “Bringing IRC and Agility together to combine experience, relationships, material, funding and commitment, we’re able to give young people in Côte d’Ivoire access to quality life skills training, which we hope will enhance their future employability. With Agility’s assistance and the space they have provided, we’re able to include more young people into our PRO- Jeunes program in Abidjan.”
Agility established a similar program at the Agility Logistics Park in Tema, Ghana, where the company runs a vocational training program in collaboration with a local non-governmental organization. Since 2018, more than 380 students have graduated from the program, which provides free vocational and technical training and job-placement assistance. Agility is engaged in several long-term partnerships involving education and training programs that aim to improve employment opportunities in the communities where Agility operates. Agility focuses on secondary education and vocational training and aims to ensure that at least 50% of participants are girls and women.
