Senegal - This week (18/10), 25 young Senegalese received support for income-generating activities at a ceremony held at the Agence Nationale pour la Promotion de l’Emploi des Jeunes (ANPEJ) in Dakar. The awarded projects were selected by ANPEJ and reviewed by IOM, based on strict criteria.

The handover ceremony, which was attended by the IOM Senegal Chief of Mission Jo-Lind Roberts Séne and Salihou Keita, the Secretary-General of ANPEJ, saw projects ranging from agriculture, apiculture, poultry farming to trade receive much needed funding.

The value of the awarded cheques are part of a global funding of more than USD 100,000 with USD 51,000 already awarded last February by IOM and ANPEJ.

The funding comes from the Spanish Development Agency (AECID) and is part of a project to promote self-employment and training. The project focuses in particular on initiatives and ideas from young people, who are potential migrants, in order to facilitate their socio-economic integration into society.

Roberts Séne said: “Senegal and IOM realise that self-employment can be a very effective tool to prevent irregular migration. Senegalese youth have a lot of potential that should benefit everyone. We are convinced that this program has the right incentives for everybody.”

The projects will be evaluated in two phases. In the first phase, junior consultants and employment advisors from ANPEJ will respond to any questions the selected candidates might have regarding the implementation of their project and in the second phase, IOM will conduct a field visit to evaluate the progress of the projects.

IOM and ANPEJ signed a partnership in June 2015 committing to capacity building of young Senegalese through self-employment with the goal to create more job opportunities.

For further information please contact Jo-Lind Roberts Séne at IOM Senegal, Tel: +221 3386975378, Email: jlroberts@iom.int