Inclusive Community Skills Development & Micro-Enterprise Program (ICSMEP)

The Inclusive Community Skills Development & Micro-Enterprise Program (ICSMEP) is a transformative initiative designed to empower youth, women, and marginalized communities across Sub-Saharan Africa. The project addresses unemployment, social exclusion, and economic vulnerability by providing vocational skills training, entrepreneurship workshops, mentorship, and seed funding for micro-enterprises. ICSMEP combines practical skill development with business support and community engagement, ensuring sustainable livelihoods and long-term socio-economic impact.

The project specifically targets individuals facing economic, social, and educational obstacles. Economic obstacles include low household income, poverty, and lack of access to resources necessary for training or starting a business. Social obstacles include gender discrimination, cultural norms, family responsibilities, marginalization, and social exclusion, which can prevent individuals—particularly women and minority groups—from participating fully in vocational or entrepreneurial programs. Educational difficulties include low literacy or numeracy, limited formal education, early school leaving, insufficient access to learning resources, and lack of guidance or mentorship. These combined barriers make it challenging for participants to access education, gain new skills, or build sustainable livelihoods.

ICSMEP addresses these challenges by providing hands-on vocational training in ICT, tailoring, crafts, and small-scale manufacturing; entrepreneurship and financial literacy workshops covering business planning, financial management, and market access; and mentorship and seed funding for micro-enterprises. The project also promotes community engagement to raise awareness on gender equality, inclusion, and entrepreneurship, while conducting monitoring and evaluation to track outcomes and impact. Additionally, transnational knowledge exchange events will connect EU and African partners to share best practices and lessons learned.

The expected results include training 500+ individuals per country in practical and entrepreneurial skills, supporting 200+ sustainable micro-enterprises, increasing household income, enhancing economic resilience, and strengthening social cohesion and gender equality. The project also aims to foster long-term EU-Africa partnerships, creating opportunities for future collaboration and sustainable impact.

We are seeking European and Sub-Saharan partners to join the consortium. Partner roles include co-developing training curricula, delivering workshops, providing mentorship and business coaching, supporting monitoring and evaluation, and participating in transnational knowledge exchange events.

By joining ICSMEP, partners can engage in a high-impact, region-wide project, share expertise in vocational training, entrepreneurship, and community development, and help create lasting economic and social change across Sub-Saharan Africa.
Email: ugandayouthtwendekazi@gmail.com