The Nuba Mountains region continues to recover from years of conflict, displacement, and economic disruption. Agricultural production systems, local markets, and small businesses were severely affected, leaving youth and women with limited livelihood opportunities. Despite their resilience and potential, many young people and women lack access to structured entrepreneurship training, formal business planning skills, and organized cooperative systems. As a result, beneficiaries often experience:

•High unemployment and underemployment rates

•Limited knowledge of business planning and financial management

•Weak access to structured value chains and market linkages

•Informal and unstable income-generating activities

•Lack of cooperative organization to pool resources and reduce risk

•Reduced participation of women in economic decision-making

Many youth and women engage in small-scale trade or subsistence agriculture but struggle to scale their efforts due to lack of technical guidance and collective organization. The absence of value chain development knowledge limits their ability to add value to agricultural or local products, resulting in low profit margins. Furthermore, without cooperative formation, individuals bear business risks alone, restricting growth and sustainability.

If these gaps are not addressed, the region risks prolonged economic stagnation, increased dependency, and continued marginalization of women and youth from meaningful economic participation.

Purpose of the Project

The Youth & Women Entrepreneurship Training project aims to strengthen economic empowerment by equipping youth and women with practical skills in business planning, value chain development, and cooperative formation. The initiative seeks to promote sustainable enterprise development, enhance income generation, and strengthen collective economic resilience.

Key Project Activities

To achieve its objectives, the project will implement the following activities:

•Entrepreneurship and business planning workshops

•Financial literacy and budgeting training sessions

•Value chain analysis and product development training

•Market linkage and business networking forums

•Cooperative formation and governance training

•Leadership and decision-making skills development

•Mentorship and coaching support for emerging entrepreneurs

•Facilitation of savings groups and cooperative capital pooling mechanisms

Monitoring and evaluation of enterprise growth and cooperative sustainability

These activities will combine individual capacity-building with collective enterprise development strategies.

Project Outcomes & Beneficiary Impact

Through this initiative, beneficiaries will experience:

•Improved business planning and management skills

•Increased participation of women and youth in economic activities

•Strengthened cooperative structures for shared growth

•Enhanced value addition and market competitiveness

•Increased income generation and household financial stability

•Reduced economic vulnerability and dependency

•Greater confidence and leadership participation among women and youth

Ultimately, the Youth & Women Entrepreneurship Training project will transform local economic participation in the Nuba Mountains by fostering skilled entrepreneurs and resilient cooperatives. By integrating business planning, value chain development, and cooperative formation, the program will contribute to sustainable livelihoods, inclusive growth, and long-term community prosperity.

“Empower a woman or youth with entrepreneurial skills, and you empower an entire community.”