Monrovia – Several small business owners and young entrepreneurs in Liberia are reporting tangible benefits after participating in a day-long thought leadership and learning event hosted by Mercy Corps under its PROSPECTS-IV program.
The event brought together participants from across the program to reflect on achievements, exchange practical experiences, and highlight evidence-based approaches to strengthening youth employment and inclusive economic growth. It also served as a platform to consolidate lessons learned from the 45-month initiative, which targets more than 6,182 young people through improved access to decent and sustainable work.
Speaking at the event, Program Manager Rose Kansuah encouraged young entrepreneurs to actively share their experiences and draw from peer knowledge. She emphasized the importance of applying best practices while learning from challenges encountered in building and sustaining businesses.
PROSPECTS-IV is implemented in collaboration with partners from the public, private, and civil society sectors. The initiative focuses on improving employment outcomes using a Market Systems Development for Employment (MSD4E) approach, which seeks to address both systemic barriers and market inefficiencies affecting youth participation.
Addressing Deep-Rooted Barriers
One of the key themes highlighted during the event was the need to transform informal norms that hinder youth employment. Program findings revealed that beyond structural challenges, many young people face negative stereotypes that label them as unreliable or unprofessional. Additionally, entrenched gender norms continue to limit economic opportunities for young women.
Participants also discussed how limited exposure to professional environments has contributed to low self-confidence among youth, often driven by survival-focused mindsets.
To tackle these issues, PROSPECTS-IV partnered with local innovation hubs and digital platforms to pilot an ecosystem-building approach.
This initiative aimed to nurture entrepreneurship, strengthen professional networks, and equip young people with critical workplace skills. The effort demonstrated that shifting mindsets and fostering supportive ecosystems are essential for long-term employment outcomes.
Expanding Opportunities Through Micro-Enterprise Development
Another major highlight of the event was the success of the program’s micro-enterprise development strategy, particularly its innovative Stock-on-Credit (SoC) model.
Recognizing the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector as an accessible entry point for young entrepreneurs, PROSPECTS-IV partnered with a leading distributor to pilot the model. The approach allows young business owners to access goods on credit, helping them overcome one of the biggest barriers to entrepreneurship—lack of start-up capital.
The initiative also incorporated business training and continuous performance monitoring, enabling participants to strengthen their management capacity and expand market linkages.
According to program insights shared at the event, the model has recorded strong repayment rates and significant business growth among participants. Importantly, the success of the SoC model has attracted interest from other distributors, pointing to its potential for replication and scalability across the country.
A Path Toward Sustainable Growth
Organizers noted that the combined focus on mindset transformation and practical business support offers a promising pathway for sustainable youth employment in Liberia. By addressing both social norms and economic barriers, the PROSPECTS-IV program is helping to create an enabling environment where young people can thrive as entrepreneurs and contributors to the national economy.
The learning event concluded with a call for continued collaboration among stakeholders to scale successful models and further strengthen opportunities for Liberia’s growing youth population.
