Invest for Jobs I About us | Invest for Jobs

What is Invest for Jobs?

In order to create good jobs and improve working conditions and social protection in our partner countries, we bring together the private sector, academia and public administration. The Special Initiative "Decent Work for a Just Transition" works together with companies and investors as well as with universities and vocational schools, chambers of commerce, associations and civil society.

The two largest organisations implementing Invest for Jobs are Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and KfW Development Bank (KfW) via the facility Investing for Employment IFE.

Other important partners are:
- the development organisation sequa,
- the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD),
- Engagement Global
- and the National Metrology Institute of Germany (PTB).

What does Invest for Jobs do?

Under the Invest for Jobs brand, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) has put together a package of measures to support your investment activities that have a high impact on employment in Africa. The Special Initiative "Decent Work for a Just Transition" – the official title - offers you comprehensive advice, contacts and financial support to overcome investment barriers.

The development objective is to work together with companies to create up to 100,000 good jobs and to improve working conditions and social protection in its eight African partner countries: Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Morocco, Rwanda, Senegal and Tunisia. The Special Initiative thus is assisting with the implementation of the G20 investment partnership Compact with Africa and BMZ’s Africa Strategy.

Our basic principle: creating win-win situations

Many African markets are dynamic and vibrant: a young population, the growing availability of labour and skilled workers as well as the integration into global value chains offer attractive opportunities for companies. If you want to invest and are confronted with obstacles, we can assist you with advice, contacts and financial support.

Good things happen when the public and private sector pull together. Assuming fair play, we invest when you invest. And: the project must be beneficial to your company as well as to other companies and interested parties in the partner countries. We can thus create genuine win-win situations: business opportunities for your company and good jobs in the partner countries. Our eight partner countries are Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Morocco, Rwanda, Senegal and Tunisia.

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What is important to us?

Empowering women in the private sector

We provide companies with targeted support aimed at creating more and better jobs for women. In this way, we promote long-term gender equality in the world of work. We also support women managers and entrepreneurs with measures tailored specifically to them and their companies, such as management training and access to financing options.

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Promoting sustainable business activities

Sustainability is becoming more and more important for companies. We can support you in establishing digital, low-emission and resource-efficient business models on the ground. In addition, we provide customised support to companies in new environmentally relevant sectors, such as renewable energies and the circular economy. Together, we can thus create future-proof jobs and company structures.

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What does Invest for Jobs focus on?

Business and Invest

Overcoming investment barriers

If there are barriers to investment or trade – for example a local shortage of skilled labour, insufficient performance of the local supply industry or poor infrastructure – we examine how these can be dismantled to pave the way for investments. For this purpose, we for example conduct project development workshops with companies in Germany and in our partner countries as part of our Business & Invest Lab.

African Mittelstand

Promoting small and medium-sized companies

Small and medium-sized are a driver of job creation on the African continent. In order to enhance the competitiveness of SMEs in Africa, we support them in tapping into new markets. At the same time, we promote cooperation between European (particularly German) and African SMEs, for example to strengthen cooperation and supply structures and to internationalise value chains.

Cluster Focus

Investing in clusters and industries

We specifically promote attractive business locations and growth industries that promise long-term success in the partner countries, including industrial estates and business parks. These include the automotive and aviation sector in Tunisia, the textiles industry and the agricultural sector in Ethiopia, and the information and communications technology (ICT) sector in Senegal, although our support is not limited to these industries.

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