Côte d’Ivoire’s high unemployment rate went up even further [following the post-electoral crisis] with young people especially bearing the heaviest cost...“Youth unemployment increases the risk of social disruption and violent conflict,” says [says Hamoud Abdel Wedoud Kamil, the World Bank’s Senior Education Specialist]. “If we don’t do this and don’t have a message of hope for the youth, it’s like we’re doing nothing. We need to give them opportunities to use pens and not weapons.”...A key outcome of the project has been the creation of a partnership between the government and the country’s private sector to offer paid internships with local companies to youths between the ages of 15 and 35. At the end of training, participants can use their new skills to apply for jobs within the company or outside, and in some cases can start their own businesses. [refers to initiatives by Compagnie Ivorienne d'Electricité (CIE), Orange (part of France Telecom)]