Jobs for Africa - Towards a Programme of Action - Report of the ILO/UNDP Programme on Employment Generation and Poverty Reduction (ILO

Jobs for Africa - Towards a Programme of Action - Report of the ILO/UNDP Programme on Employment Generation and Poverty Reduction (ILO - UNDP, 1997, 107 p.)

(introduction...)

Preface

Introduction

(introduction...)

Programme justification

Programme Objective

Contents

Chapter 1: Capacity building at the national level

1.1 Poverty reducing employment strategies for sub-Saharan Africa7

Chapter 2: Technical assistance for the generation of employment and reduction of poverty

2.1 Technical Assistance at the Regional Level

2.2 Technical Assistance at the National Level

(introduction...)

2.2.1 Promoting social dialogue for training

2.2.2 Small and medium enterprise development

i. Local Economic Development and Employment creation through Micro and Small Enterprise Promotion

ii. Access to Financial Services

iii. Support to the development of the Informal economy

2.2.3 A poverty and employment monitoring action technical assistance programme

2.2.4 Employment Intensive Infrastructure Programme (EIP)

2.2.5 Policies and programmes to enhance women's employment

2.2.6 Policies and programmes for job creation through rural development

2.2.7 Job creation through cooperatives in Africa

Annex

(introduction...)

Part 1: Context

Introduction

Promoting poverty-reducing employment on the basis of investment-led growth

Part 2: Project Justification

2.1 Problem to be addressed: the present situation

2.2 Expected end of project situation

2.3 Target beneficiaries

2.4 Reasons for assistance from UNDP

2.5 Special considerations

2.6 Coordination arrangements

Part 3: Project Strategies and Implementation Arrangements

(introduction...)

National Strategy and Implementation Arrangements

Regional Programme Strategy and Implementation Arrangements

Part 4: Development Objective

Part 5: Immediate Objectives, Outputs and Activities

5.1 Immediate Objective 1

5.2 Immediate Objective 2

5.3 Immediate Objective 3

5.4 Immediate Objective 4

Part 6: Benchmarks for Success

Part 7: Inputs

Part 8: Risks

Part 9: Prior Obligations and Prerequisites

Part 10: Project Reviews, Reporting and Evaluation

Part 11: Legal Context

Part 12: Budgets

Annex I: Typical sequences of Project activities at National level

Annex II: Schedule of Project

Annex III: Job Descriptions Project Manager/CTA

Back Cover

Preface

This report has been prepared within the framework of the UNDP financed programme “Jobs for Africa”. This programme, which has been launched by the ILO, represents a contribution to the United Nations System-Wide Special Initiative on Africa as well as to the follow-up to the Social Summit. The objective of “Jobs for Africa” is to identify a set of mutually enforcing policies for job creation and poverty reduction. This has been done through: (a) developing a conceptual framework for comprehensive and sectoral policies on employment creation for poverty reduction; (b) identifying policy tools and operational systems to implement employment creation for poverty reduction; and (c) designing a comprehensive regional programme to support country level employment promotion activities.

The major thrust of the underlying approach is that Africa has no alternative but to embark on a process of sustained growth if the continent is to avoid continued marginalization. The process of globalization offers good opportunities through increased exports and foreign investment. The process of reform has to be deepened by going beyond structural adjustment stabilization programmes, and by launching investment-led growth strategies that maximize employment and reduce poverty.

The present report, which complements another entitled “Jobs for Africa: A Policy Framework for an Employment-Intensive Growth Strategy”, proposes a Programme of Action in order to implement the policy framework in support of an investment-led growth strategy for employment creation and poverty reduction. The main focus of this Programme of Action is to contribute to capacity building of the policy maker in Africa. It is proposed that the UN System supports African efforts to influence investment decisions in such a way as to maximize demand for labour as the process of growth resumes. To achieve this objective, a number of regional and country-level programmes are proposed.

It is hoped that this Programme contributes to the positive turnaround in the growth performance experienced by several African economies in recent years.

In preparing this Programme, a number of institutions and individuals have contributed generously. Particular acknowledgment must be made to the UNDP for financing the whole project. Ms. Caitlin Wiesen has followed the evolution of this Programmes since its inception. Ms. Wiesen and Mr. Terry McKinley have provided invaluable inputs. Ms. Robin Marsh of FAO has also contributed to the finalization of the Programme. At the ILO, Mr. Vremudia P. Diejomaoh (ILO Africa Department) and Mr. Roberto Zachmann (ILO Development Policies Department) provided valuable inputs in producing this Programme.

Samir Radwan
Director
Development Policies Department
International Labour Office
Geneva