Amman, Jordan — Nov 2, 2025

With the attendance of His Excellency Eng. Sami Smeirat, Minister of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship, representing Prime Minister Dr. Jaafar Hassan, the MENA Youth Employment Summit (MENA YES! 2025) concluded on Tuesday, October 21, at the Intercontinental Amman Hotel, following two days of dynamic discussions, constructive collaboration, and joint efforts aimed at finding solutions to one of the region’s most pressing challenges: youth unemployment.

The summit was organized by Education For Employment (EFE), in partnership with the Ministry of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship and the Digital Skills Association (DigiSkills), with the generous support of: Mr. Isam Salfiti, DigiSkills, SPARK, Trafigura Foundation, LinkedIn, TAP, Bank of America, The M Movement, Orange Jordan, Authentecs, and, SAP.

The summit brought together leading regional and international stakeholders committed to advancing youth employment solutions.

With participants from 19 countries in attendance, the summit achieved remarkable outcomes, resulting in the announcement of new partnerships and commitments that will continue to strengthen collaboration and innovation in the field of youth employment across the region. Building on the success of last year’s edition in Morocco, the event gathered over 230 participants, representing 93 organizations from various sectors, with 30+ youth leaders participating. Over the course of two days, the summit also featured 20+ sessions and workshops.

During the conference, participants discussed four key themes: Women’s Economic Empowerment and Participation in the Workforce, Jobs in the Green and Circular Economy, Artificial Intelligence and the Digital Economy, and Mental Health and Psychosocial Support, with a special focus on the inclusion of refugee and displaced youth in proposed solutions and policies.

“It’s fantastic to be at MENA YES in Amman. The Netherlands is proud to invest in youth employment through initiatives like Orange Corners and the Challenge Fund for Youth Employment. Together with our partners, we’re working to turn the challenge of youth unemployment into opportunity.”
— Jurriaan Middelhoff, Dutch Ambassador for Youth, Education and Work

MENA YES! served as an interactive platform for dialogue, bringing together youth leaders, policymakers, private sector representatives, educational institutions, and civil society organizations. The summit resulted in practical recommendations and new partnerships aimed at driving sustainable change in the landscape of youth employment across the region.

These outcomes highlight MENA YES!’s pioneering role as a regional platform for promoting cooperation, innovation, and inclusive employment solutions.

For media inquiries or partnership opportunities, please contact menayes@efe.org

About

* Education for Employment – Jordan is a locally registered non-profit organization leading a national initiative to create economic opportunities for job-seeking Jordanian youth. It does so by providing vocational, technical, and job readiness training programs that are tailored to labor market demands and aligned with employers’ needs. As a member of the Education For Employment network (www.efe.org), EFE-Jordan has trained over 40,000 young men and women since 2006, and currently serves beneficiaries from both Jordanian and Syrian communities.

For more information, please contact: rbarakeh@efejordan.org // +962792001928

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