This learning paper examines the impact that agribusinesses funded by Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund (AECF) have had on the creation of opportunities for decent work.

Decent work is at the centre of the development agenda – Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8 commits the development community to providing decent work and economic growth. The need for decent work is particularly acute in sub-Saharan Africa, where the working-age population is predicted to double over the next 40 years.

Using a mixture of quantitative analysis and qualitative case studies, the AECF agribusiness portfolio was analysed to assess the different ways different mechanisms operate to create decent work. This analysis also examined whether certain types of projects have a greater impact on the creation of decent work opportunities. The paper synthesises the key lessons from this research into a number of conclusions and recommendations.