Niamey – The International Organization for Migration (IOM) organized last Friday (26/06) in Niamey the closing ceremony for the project “Initiatives for the Development of the Enterprise” (IDEE), attended by over 100 partners, authorities and young entrepreneurs based in Niamey, Tahoua and Zinder.

IDEE is funded by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) and supported by the NGO Terre Solidali, local business incubator CIPMEN and the microfinance institution Capital Finance, under the auspices of the Ministry for Youth Entrepreneurship in Niger.

Launched in January 2018, IDEE aimed to improve employment opportunities for Nigerien youth by strengthening their technical skills and capabilities to develop local businesses, thus creating viable alternatives to irregular migration for young people in search of economic opportunities.

IDEE was the first IOM project implemented in partnership with the private sector in Niger. Its activities targeted beneficiaries in Niamey, but also in Zinder and Tahoua, the main regions of origin for Nigeriens migrating to Algeria and Libya.

During the project’s duration, 103 young Nigerien entrepreneurs, including 22 women, have been supported and over 500 jobs have been created by the 71 established business owners in the three regions.

Through IDEE, Niamey-based beneficiary Fadima succeeded in further developing her food processing company Mimo Agro Business. “I joined the project at a very decisive stage for my business because it was funded solely through my own savings,” says Fadima.

During the project’s closing ceremony, Fadima, along with eight other beneficiaries, received an award for their continuous dedication and exemplary business model. “Thanks to the project, I was able to have access to a proper technical training, financial coaching and a network of entrepreneurs who are going through the same challenges as I do,” Fadima adds.

Tahoua-based entrepreneur Issa owns the company Royal Pressing which offers laundry services. Thanks to IDEE, Issa received the appropriate technical training and equipment needed to jumpstart his business. “I urge young Nigeriens to never give up and follow their dreams,” Issa says. “If you have a dream, fight for it until it becomes a reality.”

During its first phase, the project selected and assisted 36 active enterprises with integrated support, including microcredit loans and equipment, the services of a business incubator, networking opportunities, ad hoc technical monitoring, and personalized technical training at national and international levels.

During the project’s second phase, 39 young entrepreneurs with creative business ideas were selected and given access to training sessions on business plan development and integrated support to set up their business. During the project’s third phase, support was given to 21 IDEE entrepreneurs with a strong capacity to create employment opportunities.

“It has been a real pleasure for us to follow your progress and witness your growth during the past three years,” said Barbara Rijks, IOM’s Chief of Mission in Niger, during the project’s closing ceremony. “We know that being an entrepreneur today in Niger is not easy, especially when the COVID-19 pandemic is taking the world by storm, but you have been able overcome difficult obstacles, defy challenges, and come out as better entrepreneurs.”

Throughout the project, the beneficiaries were able to have exchange trips abroad and to exhibit their products at different fairs, such as “Salon International de L’Artisanat de Ouagadougou” (SIAO) in Burkina Faso, “Innovation pour le Développement” (I4DEV), “Salon international de l'artisanat pour la femme” (SAFEM) and Salon Sahel in Niamey, and Niger’s first job fair in Tahoua.

A next phase of the IDEE project is currently being conceptualized, aimed to support the project’s longstanding participants in Niamey, Zinder and Tahoua, but also focused on developing an e-commerce platform for artisans in the region of Agadez.

For more information, please contact Monica Chiriac at IOM Niger at Tel: +227 8931 8764, Email: mchiriac@iom.int.