Sustainable Youth Empowerment (SYE)
Northern Mozambique’s youth face profound challenges posed by prolonged conflict, climate change, and economic instability.
Never before was the need for Mozambique’s youth to be driving transformative change and foster sustainable development within their communities bigger than now.
About the Programme
Northern Mozambique faces severe challenges due to ongoing conflict. Since 2017, the insurgency in Cabo Delgado province has displaced over 1 million people Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre , disrupting lives and livelihoods. Compounding this crisis, only 17% of the population in the northern provinces have access to electricity, leaving approximately 14 million people without modern energy solutions. The Sustainable Youth Empowerment initiative addresses these issues by equipping young Mozambicans with renewable energy skills, fostering resilience and sustainable development in affected communities.
Utilizing Young Africa’s innovative mobile training units, the programme delivers vocational education directly to underserved and conflict-affected areas, ensuring accessibility for those most in need.
Objectives of the project
The Sustainable Youth Empowerment project addresses youth unemployment and the green skills gap by preparing young Mozambicans for careers in renewable energy. It aims to foster resilience, environmental stewardship, and economic empowerment through targeted training and innovation.
Advance Green Skills in Vocational Training
Develop a solar energy curriculum aligned with industry demands to provide professional vocational training. The mobile training programmes will equip 140 socio-economically disadvantaged youth in underserved areas with the skills needed to become proficient solar technicians.
Support Entrepreneurship and Employment
Provide 20 start-up kits for graduates with an entrepreneurial mindset and support them with mentorship to establish a business related to the green economy.
Raise Awareness of Solar Energy Benefits
Events in pre-chosen locations will be showcasing renewable energy solutions to a total of 4,000 people to create awareness about solar energy. Moreover the events will support participants in creating an understanding on how to look for quality in solar products and why it is important to maintain solar technologies.
Enhance Organisational Sustainability
Expanding access to renewable energy and fostering youth employability within Mozambique’s growing green economy, while improve Young Africa’s ability to deliver scalable and impactful green training programmes.
Our approach
- Truck and portable Solar Training Units: Set up mobile training units equipped with basic solar installation kits, tools, and teaching materials. These units are travelling to different communities, making training accessible to rural, disadvantaged youth who might otherwise lack the resources to travel.
- Hands-On Learning Modules: Training is focusing on practical skills, where students are learning through active solar installation practices, troubleshooting, and maintenance. These units simulate real-life installation challenges, preparing youth for jobs in solar
- Flexible Learning Schedule: To accommodate youth who have other obligations, training sessions are being offered in shorter, modular formats, allowing for a more flexible timeline to complete the training.
- Awareness Campaign Stops: While traveling between training locations, the mobile unit is hosting community awareness sessions. These gatherings are educating the general public on the benefits, costs, and availability of quality solar solutions, reducing myths and misperceptions.
- Solar Solution Demonstrations: Real-time demonstrations of solar products (lighting, chargers, or water heaters) are being used to showcase their impact, helping community members to improve their understanding of solar energy’s potential to improve daily life and reduce energy costs.
- Educational Material Distribution: Leaflets, brochures, and infographics are being distributed in local languages, breaking down complex solar concepts into easy-to-understand information.
- Linking to Local Employers and Solar Companies: Upon training completion, the initiative is connecting graduates with local employers in the solar sector, who are encouraged to accompany training sessions for better understanding of the professional skills provided.
- Start-Up Kits and Mentoring: Start-up kits are being provided to selected Entrepreneurial minds under the project graduates. Access to micro-credits for the targeted group often referred as unbankable are challenging and start-up kits have shown to be a high impact solution.
Mobile Training
- Truck and portable Solar Training Units: Set up mobile training units equipped with basic solar installation kits, tools, and teaching materials. These units are travelling to different communities, making training accessible to rural, disadvantaged youth who might otherwise lack the resources to travel.
- Hands-On Learning Modules: Training is focusing on practical skills, where students are learning through active solar installation practices, troubleshooting, and maintenance. These units simulate real-life installation challenges, preparing youth for jobs in solar
- Flexible Learning Schedule: To accommodate youth who have other obligations, training sessions are being offered in shorter, modular formats, allowing for a more flexible timeline to complete the training.
Community Awareness
- Awareness Campaign Stops: While traveling between training locations, the mobile unit is hosting community awareness sessions. These gatherings are educating the general public on the benefits, costs, and availability of quality solar solutions, reducing myths and misperceptions.
- Solar Solution Demonstrations: Real-time demonstrations of solar products (lighting, chargers, or water heaters) are being used to showcase their impact, helping community members to improve their understanding of solar energy’s potential to improve daily life and reduce energy costs.
- Educational Material Distribution: Leaflets, brochures, and infographics are being distributed in local languages, breaking down complex solar concepts into easy-to-understand information.
Employment and Entrepreneurship Support
- Linking to Local Employers and Solar Companies: Upon training completion, the initiative is connecting graduates with local employers in the solar sector, who are encouraged to accompany training sessions for better understanding of the professional skills provided.
- Start-Up Kits and Mentoring: Start-up kits are being provided to selected Entrepreneurial minds under the project graduates. Access to micro-credits for the targeted group often referred as unbankable are challenging and start-up kits have shown to be a high impact solution.
A Story of Change
In Marrupa, Gequina Taibo, a mother of five, always dreamed of becoming an electrician. But life had other plans—financial struggles, limited opportunities, and the responsibilities of marriage and motherhood kept her dream just out of reach.
One day, everything changed. A call came from Young Africa, offering her a spot in their Electrical Installation course. “I jumped for joy,” she recalls. “I couldn’t believe I’d be one of the first female electricians in my community.”
With determination, Gequina threw herself into the training, learning technical skills and embracing life lessons that taught her purpose and goal-setting. She sees a future full of possibility and urges others, “Dedicate yourself to learning—opportunities come from education, and the skills you gain today will transform your future.”
Gequina’s journey is one of resilience and hope—a true testament to the power of dreams and opportunity.
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