The Youth and Manufacturing Pillar seeks to professionalize Business Development Service (BDS) provision and increasing credibility for BDS providers and beneficiaries.

Entrepreneurial capacity building using proven Small Business Development Center (SBDC) methodology incorporate a multi-faceted approach integrating ILO-SIYB, trainer mobilization, methodology transfer, and funder engagement.

To enable ecosystem technology integration & market access, the pillar’s supply chain platforms and digital job matching capabilities connect entrepreneurs with funding and market opportunities under an integrated ecosystem linking trainees, MSMEs, financiers, and market actors.

Under the Pillar’s mandate of knowledge management & research dissemination, research is translated into actionable insights and evidence-based solutions for stakeholders; leveraging NeoSerra data from ongoing projects to create a robust evidence base and for policy engagement.