In 2016, the Solomon Islands Government (SIG) commissioned the development of a national youth policy which was updated to tackle the issue of rising youth unemployment in the Solomon Islands. The 3-tier policy approach included the establishment of the Young Entrepreneurs Council (YEC), a model initially developed by the ILO, as a key deliverable.

YEC’s founding in 2017 was based on the belief that youths can be a positive driving force in Solomon Islands’ development if they are given opportunities to do so. To ensure the effectiveness of YEC, an innovative Public Private Partnership (PPP) was forged between the Government (SIG) and the Solomon Islands Chamber of Commerce (SICCI) which led to the formal establishment of YEC, as the Young Entrepreneurs Council Solomon Islands (YECSI). Advocating for entrepreneurship as an alternative employment option for people between the ages of 18-40 years of age, YECSI continues to support, connect and bridge young Solomon Islands entrepreneurs.

Despite all the progress, unemployment amongst young Solomon Islanders remains as one of the highest in the region. In 2017, YECSI began the seemingly insurmountable task of reversing this outlook by supporting and connecting young entrepreneurs through its innovative training, networking and mentoring programs.

YECSI continues to advocate for young entrepreneurs throughout the country through strategic partnerships will international organisations, local corporates and businesses as well as business experts who volunteer their time and expertise to train, motivate and mentor YECSI’s growing number of young entrepreneurs. YECSI also liaises with the Government on policy issues related to young entrepreneurs, through an Advisory Committee chaired by SICCI.

Our commitment to our founding principles and objectives remains as strong as ever. Unemployment amongst young Solomon Islanders remains at around 80% with youths making up around 70% of the country’s population. It is clear that indifference is not an option if Solomon Islands is to remain known as the Pacific Islands’ ‘Hapi Isles’.

Today, we are taking the lessons we’ve learned from our experiences over the past 3 years to implement innovative programs and initiatives that are aimed at curbing the country’s high youth unemployment trend and we are expanding our work to have an even greater impact. We continue to work with the Government, SICCI and our Partners as the voice for young entrepreneurs who we hope will become the country’s future private sector leaders.