ILO 2023-2027: Productive Employment for Women & Youth through MSD ILO 2023-2027: Främjande av produktiv sysselsättning & hållbara mikroföretag The project proposed to be supported is Productive Employment for Women
and Youth in Mali through Market Systems Development – a 3.5 year project
implemented by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in Mali during 4
years, from July 2023 to December 2026, with a total budget of 75.5 MSEK. The
primary purpose of the project is to promote new and more productive
employment for people living in poverty, with a particular focus on women and
youth, so that they can work their way out of poverty. This will be done in two
agriculture­based sub­sectors – shea and vegetables/market­gardening –
selected for their high growth potential and potential to include and benefit many
women and youth living in poverty – in two regions (Sikasso and southern
Koulikoro) and one district (Bamako) of the country. Within these sectors, the
project will also promote environmental and climate objectives, to be further
specified during the Inception Phase. The project will be divided into a six ­month
Inception Phase and a three year Implementation Phase.
In order to promote sustainable impact of scale, the project adopts the Market
Systems Development (MSD) approach. MSD is a globally recognised and
well ­tested approach, not least by the ILO, and a Sida priority approach for promotion of employment, market development and related inclusive economic development interventions. The approach is analysis­based, context­specific,
designed to promote “pro­poor” development of value chains and market
systems and aims to contribute to sustainable impact of scale, through
facilitation of market systems (“systemic”) change driven by local actors, notably
– but not only – within the private sector. Local ownership is at the centre of the
approach and facilitation is the key implementation method. The approach uses
adaptive management of the project and its interventions, it tests what works to
ensure results­based learning and flexible adjustment in a complex and
uncertain context, which is particularly important in a fragile and conflict affected
context. Det projekt som föreslås stödjas är Produktiv sysselsättning för kvinnor och
ungdomar i Mali genom marknadssystemutveckling – ett 3,5­årigt projekt
som genomförs av Internationella arbetsorganisationen (ILO) i Mali under 4 år,
från juli 2023 till december 2026, med en total budget på 75,5 MSEK. Det
primära syftet med projektet är att främja ny och mer produktiv sysselsättning för
människor som lever i fattigdom, med särskilt fokus på kvinnor och ungdomar, så
att de kan arbeta sig upp ur fattigdomen. Detta kommer att göras i två
jordbruksbaserade delsektorer – ”shea” och grönsaker/trädgårdsodling – som
valts ut för sin höga tillväxtpotential och potential att inkludera och gynna många
kvinnor och ungdomar som lever i fattigdom – i två regioner (Sikasso och södra Koulikoro) och ett distrikt (Bamako) i landet. Inom dessa sektorer kommer
projektet också att främja miljö­ och klimatmål, vilka kommer att specificeras
ytterligare under inceptionfasen. Projektet kommer att delas in i en sex
månaders inceptionfas och en treårig genomförandefas. The overall objective of the is promote new and more productive employment for the poor, especially women and youth, such that they can work their
way out of poverty, in the regions of Sikasso, southern Koulikoro and the district of Bamako, Mali. The project will do this by stimulating inclusive and
sustainable growth in two highpotential agriculturebased sectors, which were previously identified in a scoping study, namely the vegetables/market
gardening sector and the shea sector. (A third sector  outside of agriculture the textiles and garments sector, was also identified as highpotential, and will
serve as an alternative sector if need be.) The project will also promote secondary, environmental, objectives such as sustainable natural resource
management, seek to enhance climate change resilience and contribute to climate change mitigation. The project will use of the market systems
development (MSD) approach in order to promote systemic change with an impact of scale that is sustained beyond the project timeframe.