The African Development Bank (www.AfDB.org) and Invest in Africa have jointly launched the MicroGREEN project to provide livelihood opportunities for marginalized and vulnerable groups in Ghana and Senegal.

Titled “Strengthening Women, Youth and People with Disabilities’ Micro Entrepreneurship for Green Jobs in Natural Resources (MicroGREEN),” the project seeks to generate up to 500 green job opportunities while delivering essential business development services.

The African Development Bank, through its Youth Entrepreneurship and Innovation Multi-Donor Trust Fund, has allocated a $1 million grant to support the MicroGREEN project over two years. It will provide entrepreneurship capacity building and business skills to at least 1,000 youth aged 15-35 years, with a target distribution of 60% young women, 10% persons with special needs, and 30% other youth in both countries.

Speaking at the launch event on Thursday,  Eyerusalem Fasika, Ghana Country Manager for the Bank, emphasized its commitment to addressing climate change and poverty challenges in alignment with Nationally Determined Contributions and Sustainable Development Goals.

Fasika highlighted several bank initiatives to foster inclusive development, particularly its gender strategy to empower women through access to finance, accelerating employability, and increasing access to social services. She also underscored the Bank’s collaboration with UN Women to empower women in the natural resources sector.

“It is our conviction that applying a gender lens to job creation and local economic development can lead to an inclusive transition to a green economy which offers unique opportunities to reduce gender inequalities in the African labor market,” she stressed.

Carol Anang, Country Manager for Invest in Africa (https://apo-opa.co/3yi0jjm), Ghana, noted that the project’s rollout was timely and would serve as a magnet to attract and increase opportunities to improve livelihoods, particularly for vulnerable groups.

“Our priority is to facilitate increased synergy between large international organizations and local entities to work together to spur inclusive growth,” Anang stressed, adding that the project will enhance skills for employability. 

The project will utilize value chain-based small and medium enterprise development models to enhance employment creation, ensure the sustainability of micro-enterprises, and integrate beneficiaries into economic systems. Invest in Africa will spearhead the implementation, leveraging its expertise in market access and skills development to drive sustainable business growth and job creation.

Solomon Amponsah, representing Ghana’s Finance Ministry, expressed the government’s support for the successful implementation of the project. “Your commitment to inclusive growth and sustainable development is truly inspiring. I am confident that together, we will make a meaningful impact on the lives of thousands of marginalized individuals in Ghana and Senegal.”

The hybrid launch event rallied together government representatives from Ghana and Senegal, program leads from the African Development Bank and Invest in Africa, civil society organization representations, and other social sector partner agencies.

Presenting an overview of the project, Salimata Soumare, Bank Task Manager for MicroGREEN, said the project would also benefit intermediaries that provide support and financing to entrepreneurs and MSMEs, such as mentoring programs, training programs, project development support, and advisory services.

During the event,  the Bank’s initiative to create 25 million jobs for the youth and equip 50 million to accomplish their goals by 2025, as well as its support for green initiatives through the African Natural Resources Management and Investment Centre, were highlighted

The Bank is currently working on a tool to track and monitor green jobs from the Bank’s projects portfolio, especially those relating to climate action, environment, circular economy, and biodiversity activities, the country manager said.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Development Bank Group (AfDB).

Contact:
Communication and External Relations
media@afdb.org

About the African Development Bank Group: 
The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) is the premier multilateral financing institution dedicated to Africa’s development. It comprises three distinct entities: the African Development Bank (AfDB), the African Development Fund (ADF) and the Nigeria Trust Fund (NSF). The AfDB has a field presence in 41 African countries, with an external office in Japan, and contributes to the economic development and social progress of its 54 regional member states. For more information: www.AfDB.org

After 100 years of existence, our association enters its new century with some new professional challenges to face. Our founders saw clearly into the future, they were driven by a correct vision of the evolution of our profession and now it is up to us to respond to the new needs, which are dictated by the use of advanced technology.

AI

We cannot deny it, we are under attack. The improper use of Artificial Intelligence can cause us very serious damage and the paradox is that they are using our production of years of work without asking our permission or even remunerating us adequately. Indeed they are also sometimes arrogant and go so far as to use the product of our work against us…. Furthermore, let’s not forget that the organizations that deal with doping and matchfixing have criminal purposes and want to pollute sport in order to manage it and for them Artificial Intelligence is a gift from heaven..

Rules

We welcome all the rules that international organizations are introducing or studying in depth, but we must also react and collaborate with those who believe that technology must help us progress and not ghettoize or destroy the foundations of a healthy and important profession .

Laws

Legislators must pass laws that defend our work and ethics to avoid the massacre of press freedom. We must also regulate the new journalistic and para-journalistic figures. Now the number of CCs (Contents Creators) is growing and in many cases the press conference rooms and mixed areas have experienced moments of heavy tension due to their unregulated presence.

The rights

The right to work for everyone is sacrosanct, but it is also necessary to regulate it to protect the rights of everyone, of the Content Creators themselves to prevent them from becoming slaves to logics, which have little to do with the freedom and independence of information . We must study new category frameworks and we must do it quickly, because the world of communication is constantly evolving. Let’s not forget that at the time of our birth as an organization controversy was raging, because the written press wanted radios out of stadiums… Every era must adapt to the evolution of the means of communication.

Tensions and horrible violence – The world is experiencing a moment of terrible tension and horrible violence: We will always be against invasions, the horrors of wars and we will always try to create bridges to re-establish relationships burned by bombs and hatred.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of International Sports Press Association (AIPS).

The Islamic Development Bank Institute (IsDBI) (https://IsDBInstitute.org) played an important role in supporting Islamic finance during the 2024 IsDB Group Annual Meetings and Golden Jubilee Celebration in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. From April 27-30, IsDBI hosted 20 bilateral meetings with a diverse range of partners. This strong engagement underscores the growing interest in Islamic finance across the IsDB member countries.

Led by Dr. Sami Al-Suwailem, Acting Director General of IsDBI, the meetings explored a broad spectrum of collaboration opportunities. Discussions focused on capacity building, legal and regulatory framework development, product structuring, and support for financial inclusion, sustainable finance, and economic development.

Additionally, innovative ideas were explored for technology adoption – including solutions for achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), building smart economic cities, fostering climate and green finance action, and driving human capital development. Notably, the discussions addressed the growth and development of the social finance and non-profit sectors.

Bilateral partners included member country delegations led by IsDB Governors, senior representatives from Ministries, Central Banks, UN Agencies, International Organizations, Multilateral Development Organizations, and other Financial Institutions.

The meetings yielded concrete action plans for 2024 and beyond. These plans leverage the unique strengths of each partner organization. Key areas for collaboration include promoting skills development, strengthening the legal and regulatory ecosystem, developing social safety nets, mainstreaming Islamic finance within the global financial architecture, and accelerating the achievement of SDGs. Several discussions highlighted the potential of innovative solutions involving artificial intelligence, blockchain, and other digital technologies.

The 2024 IsDB Annual Meetings concluded with a positive outlook for the IsDB Institute. The bilateral meetings enabled in-depth discussions with stakeholders and plans for Islamic economics and finance to play a vital role in supporting the sustainable development of the IsDB member countries and Muslim communities worldwide.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Islamic Development Bank Institute (IsDBI).

Media contact:
Habeeb Idris Pindiga
Associate Manager, Knowledge Horizons
Islamic Development Bank Institute (IsDBI)
Email: hpindiga@isdb.org

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About the Islamic Development Bank Institute:
The Islamic Development Bank Institute (IsDBI) is the knowledge beacon of the Islamic Development Bank Group. Guided by the principles of Islamic economics and finance, the IsDB Institute leads the development of innovative knowledge-based solutions to support the sustainable economic advancement of IsDB Member Countries and various Muslim communities worldwide. The IsDB Institute enables economic development through pioneering research, human capital development, and knowledge creation, dissemination, and management. The Institute leads initiatives to enable Islamic finance ecosystems, ultimately helping Member Countries achieve their development objectives. More information about the IsDB Institute is available on https://IsDBInstitute.org