Skills Initiative for Africa
Skills are our future
Les compétences sont notre avenir
SIFA - Skills Initiative for Africa
SIFA is an initiative of the African Union Commission (AUC) supported by the German Government to strengthen occupational prospects of young people in Africa.
To begin with eight countries have been selected as pilot countries – Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Togo and Tunisia.
SIFA finances skills development projects in several African countries. Projects should contribute to employment-oriented skills development for young people.
Selected projects can receive a grant between EUR 0.2 to 3 million for sustainable and innovative initiatives.
Grants are allocated on a competitive basis through three different windows. More
Hover over the map to discover more about SIFA's pilot countries.
- Population
- Million
- HDI (Human Development Index)
- Population under 25 years (%)
- Youth Unemployment (% ages 15-25)
RESULTS
Result I:
Selected institutions have been capacitated to provide employment-oriented skills development.
Result II:
Access to employment-oriented skills development for young people is improved, in particular for women, students from low income groups, refugees and migrants.
Result III:
Private sector contributes to improving skills development by participating in the design and the delivery of employment-oriented skills development programmes.
Result IV:
Lessons learned and best practices are disseminated at national, regional and continental level.
Funding Windows
Window I
Currently no open calls for proposals. For call status and timeline, please click on the link below.Large skills development investment projects.
Grant Amount per project
Up to EUR 3 million
Thematic Area
Large investment projects
Eligible Applicants
Lead: Domestic public or private accredited training provider
Primary partner: Domestic private sector entity
Applicant contribution
At least 10 % of total project cost/investment
Project Implementation Period
Up to 30 months
Window II
Currently no open calls for proposals. For details, please click on the link below.Skills development investment projects
Grant Amount per project
Between EUR 1 and EUR 1.5 million
Thematic Area
Skills development investment projects
Eligible Applicants
Lead: International company with training activities
Primary partner: Domestic public or private accredited training provider
Applicant contribution
At least 30 % of total project cost/ investment
Project Implementation Period
24 to 30 months
Window III
Currently no open calls. Details to be announced.Innovative skills (pilot) projects
Grant Amount per project
Between EUR 0.2 and 1 million
Thematic Area
Innovative skills projects
Eligible Applicants
Lead: Domestic public or private entity. If the Lead is public then one of the partners must be private.
Applicant contribution
At least 10 % of total project cost/investment
Project Implementation Period
Up to 24 months
Sign in to SmartME
Sign in to create or edit your application, or to report on the progress of an ongoing project
SIFA is an initiative of the African Union Commission (AUC) supported by the German Government to strengthen occupational prospects of young people in Africa.
Initiated by
Implemented by
Financed through
Co-funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and the European Union
