@TechReport{iza:izadps:dp18713, author={Zucchini, Emanuele and Sadania, Clémentine and Steiner, Susan and Rossi, Alessandro and Mabiso, Athur and Toguem, Robinson and Mastroeni, Andrea}, title={From Training to Self-Employment: Evidence from Youth Agricultural Programmes in Cameroon and Madagascar}, year={2026}, month={Jun}, institution={Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)}, address={Bonn}, type={IZA Discussion Paper}, number={18713}, url={https://www.iza.org/publications/dp18713}, abstract={Youth employment remains a critical issue in Sub-Saharan Africa. This study examines the impact of two large-scale governmental programmes in Cameroon and Madagascar that aim to promote self-employment in agriculture. Youth participated in vocational training and received technical support, inputs and mentoring to engage in crop, livestock or non-farming agricultural activities. We employ a quasi-experimental design to estimate the impact on the income of youth-led activities, and we address the limitations associated with such designs by carefully constructing a counterfactual. Our findings indicate that these integrated training and livelihoods programmes significantly enhance income from the targeted activities. We highlight the importance of providing regular support for participants during and after programme implementation.}, keywords={integrated training and livelihood programmes;youth employment;agriculture;impact evaluation;Sub-Saharan Africa}, }