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 seven countries have been selected as pilot countries – Cameroon, Ethiopia, 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
Cameroon: Call is OPEN - Deadline for submission of concept notes: 15 April 2019. Tunisia: Call is OPEN - Deadline for submission of concept notes: 31 May 2019. Other participating countries: Call openings will be announced.Large skills development investment projects proposed by domestic training entities in partnership with companies.
Grant Amount per project
Up to EUR 3 million
Thematic Area
Large investment projects in modern work place skills development, building the capacity of public and private training institutions to deliver quality skills programs for the youth in priority growth sectors.
A combination of 5 technical and didactical interventions:
- Procurement of training equipment
- Construction, rehabilitation or expansion of learning infrastructure
- Training of trainers*
- Curriculum design*
- Learner scholarships*
*The activities 3-5 can be funded only in combination with the core activities 1 and/or 2 and only up to 5 % of the total project cost.
Eligible Applicants
Lead: Domestic public or private accredited training provider
Primary partner: Domestic private sector entity
Counterpart (Applicant’s own) contribution
At least 10 % of total project cost/investment
Project Implementation Period
Up to 30 months
Window II
Call opening to be announced per country.Skills development investment projects proposed by International private sector entities in collaboration with domestic skills training entities.
Grant Amount per project
Between EUR 1 and EUR 1.5 million
Thematic Area
Smaller investment projects that build the capacity of public and private training institutions to deliver innovative skills programs for youth employment.
A combination of 5 technical and didactical interventions:
- Procurement of training equipment
- Construction, rehabilitation or expansion of learning infrastructure
- Training of trainers*
- Curriculum design*
- Learner scholarships*
*The activities 3-5 can be funded only in combination with the core activities 1 and/or 2 and only up to 5 % of the total project cost.
Eligible Applicants
Lead: International company with training activities
Primary partner: Domestic public or private accredited training provider
Counterpart (Applicant’s own) contribution
At least 30 % of total project cost/ investment
Project Implementation Period
Up to 36 months
Window III
Call opening to be announced per country.Innovative skills promotion pilot projects proposed by domestic training entities in partnership with public or private companies.
Grant Amount per project
Between EUR 0.2 and 1 million
Thematic Area
Smaller, innovative (pilot) projects, such as the following technical and didactical interventions:
- Image campaigns for promoting skills development
- ICT-based approaches to skills development
- Entrepreneurship/mentorships programs
- Equipping of workshops, classrooms, alternative/innovative learning spaces
- Student or Learner Scholarships
- Curriculum design
- Training of Trainers Program (excluding recurrent costs)
Eligible Applicants
Lead: Domestic public or private entity. If the Lead is public then one of the partners must be private.
Counterpart (Applicant’s own) contribution
At least 10 % of total project cost/investment
Project Implementation Period
Up to 24 months
