Youth Employment Programs - Independent Evaluation Group

Figure E.3Regional Distribution of IFC Investments inEducation, by number of approvalsSub-SaharanAfrica26%East Asia andPacific12%Europe andCentral Asia’8%South Asia4%Middle Eastand North Africa12%Source: IFC Internal data as end of June 2011.Latin Americaand theCaribbean38%university students in the West Bank and Gaza (through the provision ofwholesale finance to financial intermediaries for on-lending to educationalinstitutions). Alternatively, support can go through direct lending to wellestablishedinstitutions seeking to expand within their domestic or regionalmarkets.The move toward the wholesale approach was consistent with IFC’s goalto broaden its reach to a larger number of educational institutions, SMEs,and students, thereby maximizing its development impact. However, IFC’sexperience with this approach has not yielded the expected outcomes.Therefore, IFC’s recent global education strategy is focusing on investments ineducation providers who: (i) operate in multiple markets with the potential toincrease access in underserved areas; (ii) move down-market to reach lowerincomehouseholds; (iii) create centers of excellence in emerging markets; and(iv) provide employment opportunities for skilled professionals.Advisory Services in the Education SectorIFC has also supported educational institutions through capacity building,although the number of such interventions has been few. IFC has providedadvisory services to improve the capacity of private educational institutions.IFC has provided assistance with the development of school management,curricula, and training capacity. It has also provided advice to governmentson public and private partnerships. In addition, IFC has carried out marketstudies on education and training.Appendix E: The IFC Portfolio for Youth Employment 129