Our FPS supports the entrepreneurs of tomorrow

Young people are not only the future; they are already making a difference today. That is why Belgian international cooperation pays particular attention to this group, which is brimming with ideas and entrepreneurial spirit but needs a supportive environment, including access to high-quality training.

There are nearly 1.2 billion young people aged between 15 and 24 worldwide. By 2030, that figure is expected to reach 1.3 billion. Many of them are brimming with ideas and entrepreneurial spirit, eager to take on work that helps move their societies forward.

By doing so, they can help build sustainable, resilient, and stable societies in which everyone has a role to play. They are quite literally the future—but one that begins today.

To realise their potential, however, they need an ‘enabling environment’: quality education, healthcare, support for their entrepreneurial ambitions, and more. Women in particular, who often face inequality, deserve additional support.

That is why Belgian international cooperation places young people at the centre of all its activities. We also run several programmes designed specifically for them.

As Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot put it: ‘Young people are not only the future; they are already making a difference today. Our role is to give them the skills, opportunities, and space to make their voices heard and take action themselves. That is why young people are at the heart of our international cooperation.’

Below are four examples of how we support young people.

• African Girls Can Code Initiative
  
  Belgium supported an initiative launched by UN Women, the African Union, and other partners. Its aim was to invest in young girls’ digital skills in order to reduce inequality and improve their access to employment. The training gave participants a strong foundation for contributing to innovation and economic development.
  
  Five hundred young girls across  five countries – Burundi, Mali, Niger, Tanzania, and Mozambique – learnt to code. The initiative also provided 500 computers and established learning centres.
   
• Investing in Young Businesses in Africa
  
  This is a Team Europe initiative, to which Belgium contributes, that gives young entrepreneurs – particularly women – access to funding, technical support, and investment opportunities. Especially young people with the greatest potential were selected.
  
  Through this initiative, we help create decent jobs, foster the development of a more inclusive private sector, and support the emergence of a new generation of leading entrepreneurs and innovators.
  
  Investing in Young Businesses in Africa encompasses more than 180 programmes and projects and has raised 4.6 billion euros in investment.
   
• Bosch Junior Academy
  
  Starting today, we want to shape the generation that will help lead Ukraine’s reconstruction. In 2025, the very first Bosch Junior Academy trained 18 trainers from four vocational schools. Its aim was to equip them with the skills needed to inspect and repair cars, using equipment that meets European industry standards.
  
  Belgium's agency for international cooperation, Enabel, is delivering the programme in partnership with Bosch Ukraine and the Ukrainian government. The initiative brings vocational education and the private sector into closer alignment with the needs of the labour market, while helping pave the way for Ukraine’s European integration.
   
• Youth Participation Lab
  
  BeGlobal, a programme run by Enabel, is one of the channels through which we deliver Global Citizenship Education. It supports in Belgium young people’s commitment to a society based on justice, sustainability, and solidarity.
  
  Together with Plan International, BeGlobal organised a Youth Participation Lab: a forum for dialogue among young people, political decision-makers, and stakeholders in international cooperation. Ensuring that young people can have their say on major international challenges is essential.