ILO supports youth innovators in Sudan to create jobs and solutions for local challenges

Kassala, SUDAN (ILO News) – The International Labour Organization (ILO) today convened the Integrated – UPSHIFT (i-UPSHIFT) Summit in Kassala State, Sudan, celebrating the achievements of 38 youth-led-startups from refugee and host communities who are innovating solutions for pressing social and economic challenges.

i -UPSHIFT is an entrepreneurship and skills development programme for young people, adapted from UNICEF’s UPSHIFT methodology and enhanced by the International Labour Organization (ILO). It focuses on equipping young women and men – particularly from vulnerable groups such as refugees and host communities – with skills in social innovation, entrepreneurship and employability.

In Sudan, i-UPSHIFT initiative is implemented under the PROSPECTS Partnership, funded by the Government of the Netherlands. ILO in partnership with the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Kassala State and with the support of the Commission for Refugees (COR) has collaborated with 249Startups, Maharat Training Centre and Get Hub for implementation of this initiative.

The programme has reached 500 young women and men from Shagarab Refugee Camp and surrounding host communities in Kassala and Wad Al Hilew. Through structured bootcamps, mentorship and incubation, participants transformed community challenges into viable business and social enterprise ideas.

© 249Startups

© 249Startups

During the Summit, 38 winning youth‑led teams – comprising 160 young people, including 66 refugees – presented their solutions following a competitive pitching process. Their innovations address key needs in livelihoods, services, and community resilience, demonstrating the role of young people as agents of change in displacement-affected contexts.

© 249Startups

© 249Startups

Speaking on behalf of Khumbula Ndaba, Director of the ILO Country Office for Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somalia, Sudan and South Sudan and Special Representative to the African Union and UNECA, Geofrey Ochola, Deputy Programme Manager for ILO PROSPECTS in Sudan said, “The i-UPSHIFT programme shows how targeted investments in youth skills and innovation can create pathways to livelihoods, social cohesion and hope, even in challenging settings,” Geofrey added, “By supporting refugee and host community youth together, we are strengthening local economies and promoting inclusive development.”

© 249Startups

© 249Startups

The Summit brought together representatives from government institutions, United Nations agencies, development partners, civil society and the media. It provided a platform to showcase youth innovation, foster dialogue and explore partnerships to support the scale-up of promising solutions.

Note:

Sudan has been among the key member states of the ILO since 1956 and is currently serving as an ILO Governing Board Member. Under the PROSPECTS Partnership, the ILO, together with UNICEF and UNHCR, is implementing programmes in White Nile and Kassala States, with plans to expand to Khartoum. It is working closely with government institutions, employers’ and workers’ organizations, and development partners on employment creation, skills development, social protection and strengthening labour market systems in fragile and crisis-affected settings.

This initiative contributes to the ILO’s mandate to promote decent work, inclusive economic opportunities and social cohesion, and aligns with national and global efforts to improve prospects for forcibly displaced persons and host communities.