The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Senegalese Vocational and Technical Training Fund (3FTP) have reached a cooperation agreement in which the UN organization will support and aid the Senegalese government in its efforts to rapidly promote employment and employability of young men and women in the agricultural sector.

The deal is part of the MIJA project (Program to accelerate the insertion model for young agripreneurs), which promotes agricultural entrepreneurship in the country; 15,840 young Senegalese will receive training in sectors such as poultry farming, horticulture, fish farming, and livestock.

"The implementation of this partnership will allow us to train and integrate more than 15,000 young women and men, and to put in place initiatives [...] to ensure the sustainability of the jobs that will be created," said Gouantoueu Robert Guei, FAO representative in Senegal.

In addition to its expertise in agriculture, FAO will also provide financial support. The institution will grant part of the $3 million needed to implement training and support activities under the partnership. This collaboration comes in a context where the Senegalese government is increasing its efforts to make agriculture more attractive to young people. Another component of the program will be the incubation of more than 5,000 young people through integrated platforms and the creation of 5,000 businesses with the support of local authorities. The objective is to promote the creation of new jobs.

With covid-19, youth unemployment figures are on the rise. By multiplying initiatives in the agricultural sector, the country hopes to achieve its ambition of food self-sufficiency while increasing the employability of youth. The government inaugurated a training center dedicated to agricultural machinery in early April.

Vanessa Ngono Atangana