Kolda – On 8 February 2024, IOM, in partnership with the Czech Republic and Government of Senegal, organized a workshop to officially launch the project “Consolidation of Achievements in the Reintegration of Returnees in Senegal through Integrated Support to Micro and Small Enterprises, Phase II” (Consolidation des acquis en matière de réintégration des personnes migrantes de retour au Sénégal à travers un appui intégré aux micros et petites entreprises, Phase II). This new initiative aims to promote young Senegalese employability including returnees.

This official launch workshop was held in Kolda, in the presence of IOM Chief of Mission in Senegal, the Representative of the Embassy of the Czech Republic, Governor of the region as well as other partners and stakeholders of the project.

The Governor of the region, Mr Saër NDAO, took the opportunity to reiterate his determination, and that of the region’s various technical departments, to support this project’s implementation. They made the following key commitments:

• Setting up of a monitoring committee for the project’s activities, made up of the relevant technical departments;
• Setting up of a selection committee for the 150 young beneficiaries of the technical training courses;
• Providing all the technical support necessary for the success of the project.

Overall, this initiative represents a great opportunity for the Kolda Region, as it will support twenty (20) returnees who have successfully completed their reintegration project. These returnees will receive integrated support, including:

• Increased access to funding, particularly through microfinance institutions;
• Access to new technologies and equipment needed to increase productivity or enable the production of new items;
• Vocational and technical training;
• Networking and marketing, continuous support as well as effective monitoring.

Through this project, IOM also plans to train two hundred (200) young people and returnees in agri-food over a period of eight (8) months. The aim is to create jobs for youth in the region. The project’s implementation will leverage the contribution of the Senegalese diaspora in consolidating and developing businesses through its networking capabilities and sharing of technical expertise.

“The project aims to increase relevant economic opportunities in terms of environmental sustainability and job creation for young people and returnees in the region, with a strong emphasis on collaboration and support from the private sector and the diaspora for local development. In the mid to long term, this project will have a positive impact on the whole community and will be a successful model for young people and returnees,” said Ms Valeria Falaschi, IOM Chief of Mission in Senegal.

“Young people are a strength for Senegal, but we need to create the right conditions for their socio-economic and inclusive development. I would like to emphasise that the European Union and the whole of Team Europe are committed to Senegalese youth programmes,” said Ms Tereza HANKEOVA, Representative of the Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Senegal.

The project “Consolidation of Achievements in the Reintegration of Returnees in Senegal through Integrated Support to Micro and Small Enterprises, Phase II” is funded by the Czech Republic through its Ministry of the Interior and amounts to twenty-five million Czech crowns (CZK 25,000,000) or approximately one million one hundred and thirty-three thousand two hundred and seventy-two US dollars (USD 1,133,272). It will be implemented over a period of eighteen (18) months in the Region of Kolda, in southern Senegal.

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For more information, please contact:

Dakar: Nicoleta URSESCU, nursescu@iom.int, +221 77 287 02 09

Kolda: Yaya DIALLO, ydiallo@iom.int, + 221 77 709 00 66