Adja Oumy et Fatou EN

The story begins with an orchard owner who was unable to sell his lemon crop. As a result, under his helpless gaze, much of his crop ended up rotting. One day, three cousins – Fatou, Adja and Oumy – decided to come to his rescue, offering to process and market his produce. In reality, the owner was one of their uncles. This sparked off the idea of investing in agri-business, leading to the birth of a new project called SEN GNAM. The aim of this project is to promote the consumption of local produce through fruit and vegetable processing.

But before the creation of this project, these 3 dynamic young girls had a brilliant school career. After passing their baccalaureate exams, they all went on to study at Dakar’s Cheikh Anta Diop University. Fatou studied Modern Languages and Civilizations. Adja specialized in English, and finally Oumy in Geography, with a specialization in the creation of social enterprises with a gender perspective.

The girls then got together and embarked on a completely different and, to say the least, uncertain venture. To show their uncle that they were up to such a challenge, they started their business with a credit of 12,000 francs. The important thing for them was not to get rich, but to be able to expand their activities, participate in job creation for young people, business development, and the promotion of female entrepreneurship. “None of Sen Gnam’s members is currently drawing a salary, as we have all decided to reinvest our profits and personal money in the business, rather than wait for funding,” they confirm.

As part of this approach, Fatou, Adja and Oumy regularly take part in exhibitions and trade fairs, and provide services at ceremonies and seminars to raise the profile of their products.

With such ambition and determination to succeed, the girls, with the aim of strengthening their entrepreneurial skills, drawing up a business plan and consolidating their enterprise, join the Young Farmers program, an experience they won’t soon forget, given the added value the program offers them.
However, many challenges await them in their entrepreneurial career, in addition to those linked to the agri-business sector, notably the monopolization of the market by large firms, and consumer preference for imported products. To reverse this trend, they are counting on their commitment and determination, and above all on the leading role they will play in raising community awareness of the importance of consuming locally.

Their shared vision is to develop the agri-food industry in Senegal, and thus contribute to the country’s economic and social development.