Youth Inclusive Rural Tender

BudgetCurrent phaseSwiss budgetCHF 8000000Swiss disbursement to dateCHF 0Millions of Tanzanian young people living in rural areas in particular young women are affected by vulnerable employment. Building on successful Swiss experience in youth employment this initiative aims at increasing gainful self-employment through enhanced financial inclusion. It will support the design market entrance and upscaling of innovative digital financial products and services tailored to rural youth including female youth. In order to ensure scale and sustainability a partnership with the private sector will be developed.The proposed program complements current SDC-supported initiatives related to youth employment which have a focus on Vocational Skills Development. Its overall goal is to increase gainful self-employment of rural youth through a contribution to increased financial inclusion. The proposed outcomes areAccess to and uptake of financial products Rural youth in particular women have an improved access and use financial services as a result of financial service providers developing and offering relevant and affordable products.Advocacy and policy dialogue for youth inclusive financial systems Favorable policy solutions based on regional cross learning enhance the financial inclusion environment enabling stakeholders to better address the financial needs of rural youth.This program aims at reaching scalable and sustainable solutions in partnership with a formal financial service provider and other key stakeholders that drive the financial inclusion agenda. It will contribute to the design and the implementation of tailored financial products and services for and with rural youth. Informal financial services exist in Tanzania but have limitations in terms of providing the means youth need to scale up their economic activities therefore youth need to be linked with the formal system. We envision the design of a low-cost financial technology solution that bundles a number of services including saving micro-credit and an attractive financial literacy program. A specific focus will be on removing barriers and enabling young women to access and better manage their money to invest it in business opportunities or education.