The World Bank has approved a US$642 million regional programme aimed at improving education, vocational training and employment opportunities for young people across Central and West Africa.
The Skills for Innovation, Resilience and Aspirations (SIRA) programme is designed to strengthen links between education systems and labour markets by helping young people acquire skills needed in growing sectors of the economy.
The first phase of the initiative will focus on Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire and Guinea, with about 5.4 million young people expected to benefit, including young women and those currently outside education, employment or training.
The programme will support improvements in skills development systems, education infrastructure, governance reforms and private sector participation in sectors with strong growth potential, including energy, healthcare, agribusiness, manufacturing and tourism.
It will also help young people connect with employers and improve access to better employment opportunities.
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“SIRA marks a decisive shift in how countries address youth who are Not in Employment, Education, or Training — moving from fragmented efforts to a unified, scalable platform that connects skills to jobs and economic transformation,” said Ousmane Diagana, the World Bank Group’s Vice President for Western and Central Africa.
In Cabo Verde, the programme will establish the Creating Opportunities and Reaching Results on Employment initiative, targeting around 50,000 young people aged between 15 and 35.
The initiative will focus on improving employment prospects while also supporting better learning outcomes.
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In Côte d’Ivoire, SIRA will expand access to quality vocational training and improve job opportunities for more than 900,000 young people.
In Guinea, the programme is expected to benefit nearly 2.7 million young people by modernising secondary education and expanding technical and vocational training in priority fields such as agribusiness, energy and digital technology.
The World Bank said the initiative responds to the demographic pressures facing Central and West Africa, which have some of the youngest and fastest-growing populations in the world.
The institution estimates that nearly 6 million young people enter the labour market every year across the two regions, creating urgent demand for stronger education systems and employment-focused training.
The bank said many countries face challenges in ensuring that education systems provide skills that match employer needs, contributing to high youth unemployment and underemployment.
As part of efforts to address these gaps, Côte d’Ivoire has developed a Labour Market Information System to collect and analyse data on employment, skills and training needs.
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Cabo Verde is also working with Portugal through technical cooperation and knowledge exchange to improve education standards and align its system with international best practices.
The World Bank said SIRA is designed as a scalable regional platform that can be expanded to other countries seeking to improve the connection between education, skills development and economic opportunities.
