Neftaly: Leveraging Backyard Partnerships for Economic Development in Informal Settlements

Empowering Communities, Unlocking Potential

Informal settlements across Africa are not just spaces of survival—they are spaces of opportunity. Neftaly (Neftaly Africa NPC) is taking a bold step forward by harnessing backyard partnerships as a grassroots-driven solution for sustainable economic development in under-resourced urban areas.

What Are Backyard Partnerships?

Backyard partnerships refer to collaborative, micro-scale economic arrangements between homeowners and tenants, local entrepreneurs, service providers, and community members in informal or backyard dwellings. These often-overlooked partnerships offer untapped potential for job creation, skills development, and inclusive growth.

Our Vision

Neftaly envisions a future where informal settlements are thriving economic ecosystems—where backyard spaces are leveraged not just for shelter but for entrepreneurship, innovation, and upward mobility.

Our Approach

1. Community Asset Mapping
   • We identify existing backyard structures, local skills, and entrepreneurial activities.
   • We uncover economic linkages that already exist in the community.
2. Capacity Building & Training
   • Neftaly provides targeted skills training in business management, construction, sanitation, and digital tools.
   • Tenants and landlords receive education on micro-enterprise opportunities and legal frameworks.
3. Micro-Financing & Resource Access
   • Through partnerships with financial institutions, Neftaly connects residents to small-scale funding and equipment grants.
   • We also facilitate access to municipal services and utilities to improve sustainability.
4. Business Incubation in Backyards
   • Backyard spaces are transformed into hubs for small businesses—salons, bakeries, tailoring shops, tech repair points, and more.
   • Neftaly provides mentorship, branding support, and market access for these ventures.
5. Policy Advocacy
   • We engage with local governments to recognize backyard enterprises within urban economic development plans.
   • Neftaly champions inclusive policies that support informal traders and homeowners as legitimate economic actors.

Impact Highlights

• Job Creation: Every backyard business employs at least 1–3 local residents, reducing unemployment at the hyper-local level.
• Empowerment of Women & Youth: A majority of backyard entrepreneurs are women and young people—Neftaly prioritizes their inclusion and success.
• Improved Livelihoods: Enhanced income streams improve access to education, health, and food security within informal settlements.

Why It Matters

Backyard partnerships are more than housing solutions—they are drivers of economic resilience. In a context of rising urban poverty and limited formal job creation, Neftaly’s model shifts the narrative from aid to agency. We recognize the ingenuity of communities and invest in their power to change their own future.

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Join Neftaly in transforming backyards into backbones of local economies.

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