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Good practice Imported

Women and Youth Creating Our Future — Timor-Leste's USAID-Backed Business Incubator in Dili

Timor-Leste · Dili · See the Timor-Leste profile · See the Dili profile

Evidence: Descriptive / self-reported Top 83% 52/100 · Ask Evidence Copilot about this practice

A $7.5M USAID-funded incubator run with Timor-Leste's Institute of Business trained nearly 3,000 young people, women and people with disabilities in Dili, placing 135 in internships and 41 in jobs during its first pilot phase.

7500000 USD
Total programme funding
~3,000
People trained, first pilot phase
135
Internships secured
41
Moved into employment
45 %
Share of employed participants who are women
22,000 people
Five-year programme target
Women and Youth Creating Our Future — Timor-Leste's USAID-Backed Business Incubator in Dili

Details

Maturity
Pilot
Promoter
NCBA CLUSA, USAID, Timor-Leste Institute of Business (IOB) and Ministry of Industry and Trade
Period
2024–2029 (5-year cooperative agreement, launched September 2024)
Keywords
youth entrepreneurship, workforce development, SME incubation, gender and disability inclusion

Context

Timor-Leste is one of the world's youngest nations, with about 70% of its population under 30 and few formal jobs for new labour-market entrants. In September 2024, USAID launched 'Women and Youth Creating Our Future' (WYCF), a five-year, $7.5 million cooperative agreement with NCBA CLUSA, Timor-Leste's Ministry of Industry and Trade, and the Institute of Business (IOB).

Activities

WYCF built a business incubator and three youth hubs in Dili, giving young entrepreneurs, women and people with disabilities access to training, mentorship and networking alongside IOB's existing faculty of about 100 staff. The programme targets 22,000 people over its five years.

Results

In its first pilot phase, close to 3,000 people were trained in employment, entrepreneurship and foundational skills; 135 secured internships with private-sector partners, and 41 moved into employment, 45% of them women.

Conclusions

The reported figures are pilot-phase placement outcomes from the implementing partners rather than an independent evaluation, and it is too early to say whether the 22,000-person, five-year target or business survival rates will be met.

Implementation
Indicative cost
High (€500k–€5M)
Time to results
Long (> 3 years)
Staffing & skills
NCBA CLUSA implementing team, Timor-Leste Institute of Business (IOB), about 100 faculty, Ministry of Industry and Trade

Conditions for success

  • building on IOB, a social enterprise that has run continuously in the country since 1994
  • explicit inclusion targeting women and people with disabilities

Common failure modes

  • pilot-phase figures are self-reported by implementing partners, not independently evaluated
  • too early to assess the 22,000-person five-year target or venture survival rates

Commonly funded by

National / regional programmes Philanthropic / foundation funding

Indicative funding routes for practices of this type — always check each programme's current calls and eligibility rules.

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Data sources

Where this practice's information was retrieved from, and when.

Attachments

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