WASHINGTON, March 21, 2025 — The World Bank approved $250 million in financing for the Angola Youth Employment Opportunities Project (AYEOP) to support the Government of Angola to increase productivity and access to employment opportunities for youth in the country. The project will address barriers to wage jobs and entrepreneurship through a multi-faceted approach with coordinated interventions.
Building on robust analytical work conducted in the report, "Good Jobs for Angolan Youth: Opportunities, Challenges, and Policy Directions, 2023”, and extensive global evidence, the project design takes an integrated approach to tackle youth employment challenges for impact at scale.
AYEOP introduces a convergence approach to integrate government investments and World Bank support for economic transformation, diversification, and digitalization, particularly in the Lobito economic corridor. It also adopts delivery mechanisms aimed at enhancing the Labor Market Information System to reach scale and support Angola’s large youth population. Approximately 500,000 individuals are expected to benefit from the project through participation in entrepreneurship and labor market interventions.
“This project supports government efforts for economic diversification by ensuring youth acquire relevant skills, gain experience, and access opportunities from economic initiatives, helping them become productive employees, entrepreneurs, and job creators,” said Juan Carlos Alvarez, World Bank Country Manager for Angola.
The project will be implemented nationwide and will target youth aged 16 to 35 years, particularly those who are unemployed, inactive, or engaged in low-productivity activities and vulnerable to shocks. Specifically, the project will support young entrepreneurs by offering training, business development services, and financial assistance to help them grow businesses and create employment opportunities. It will also prepare youth for wage employment by providing market-aligned training, skills certification, internships, job placement services, mentoring, and support for digital employment. Finally, it will enhance the capacity of government institutions to deliver responsive and sustainable labor market programs and services at scale.
The project aligns with the government's long-term strategic priorities outlined in the National Development Plan 2023–2027, as well as the forthcoming Country Partnership Framework CPF FY26-FY32 focusing on economic diversification by building resilience at the individual, economy, and environment levels.
“Through interventions that improve youth employment, productivity, income, and work experience, the project will open doors to better opportunities and empower young people to become innovators and job creators over time,” said Emma Monsalve, World Bank Senior Social Protection Specialist and Task Team Leader.
