Daring to be an Entrepreneur

In Senegal, half of the population is under 20 years old. 65% of this group is made up of unemployed people aged between 15 and 34. These young people, left out of the labour market, are very often attracted by clandestine emigration. In fact, areas of migrant transit and departure are those with the highest unemployment rates, such as Tambacounda( 12.5%) andSaint-Louis(21.8%). Their attempts to emerge from their situation of economic vulnerability are often hindered by the poor support they receive and by the difficulties in accessing funding for the development of their projects (there is a concentration of support mechanisms for young people and Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) in the Dakar region). These difficulties do not spare very small and medium-sized enterprises . This situation leads to a high unemployment rate, with the impossibility for companies to absorb a fringe of young people who are not working and who also struggle to start up a business or self-employment, due to a lack of financial resources.