• Mali signs 19 agreements to launch FIER 2 rural youth employment project

•  IFAD-backed programme targets training, financing, 14,000 projects

• Initiative expands nationwide as informal work dominates rural labour markets

The Malian government has moved the FIER 2 project into a new phase after signing 19 partnership agreements on Monday, Jan. 19. The ceremony was chaired by Drissa Guindo, Secretary General of the Ministry of National Entrepreneurship, Employment and Vocational Training, who attended on behalf of Minister Oumou Sall Seck. Signed in coordination with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the agreements are designed to set out working arrangements with the project’s implementing partners and to clear the way for activities to begin on the ground.

 The agreements are worth more than 25 billion CFA francs, or about $44.8 million, and they mark the start of the programme’s rollout. The ministry said the initiative is consistent with national employment and vocational training policies, as well as the new National Entrepreneurship Strategy. The aim is to help rural youth turn business ideas into viable projects through training, coaching and access to financing. Launched in Sikasso in March 2024 with IFAD technical and financial support, FIER 2 has since been expanded to cover all rural regions. Young women are expected to make up 40% of beneficiaries.

Implementation of the FIER 2 project

The programme is being introduced as rural labour markets come under increasing strain, with most jobs remaining informal and insecure. FIER 2 is expected to deliver technical skills and entrepreneurship training to 15,000 young people. It also plans to put in place a long-term financing mechanism, support 14,000 income-generating projects, and build agricultural and artisanal facilities in participating areas. Authorities say this partnership framework should help young people secure a more lasting place in local economies.

 The initiative comes as Mali continues to grapple with long-standing employment constraints and wide disparities between urban centres and rural communities. World Bank data for 2024 puts the official unemployment rate at around 3%. But the figure does not fully reflect the scale of underemployment or the weight of informal work in the economy. Nearly 70% of Mali’s workforce is engaged in agriculture and other rural activities, where productivity remains low. Young people and women face additional barriers to entering the formal economy. The World Bank also notes that rapid population growth is adding further pressure to the labour market, underlining the need for targeted programmes that support rural employment and entrepreneurship.

Félicien Houindo Lokossou