In Togo, poverty has led to more creative ways of developing employment opportunities. AVEBETO, a non-governmental agency is working to address the situation of unemployment by advocating and training young people to own businesses. Students are encouraged to brainstorm on various business ideas and to start a business before the end of their training. In 1988 and 1998, nearly 10,000 university and college graduates were trained and about 70 per cent of them manage their own business today. This program has been duplicated in other countries in Africa.