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Started in 2014, in partnership with Children and Youth Foundation and with the support of the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Nokia, the Challenge program’s ambition was to accompany 600 young potential entrepreneurs from the regions of Dakar, Thiès, Saint-Louis and Kaolack over three consecutive years to acquire basic personal skills, entrepreneurial and management skills as well as technical qualification for the implementation of their business start-up projects in high-impact social sectors such as the arts and creative economy, agribusiness, digital and the green economy.

Le programme a été mis en œuvre avec succès grace à l’appui des partenaires techniques que sont le CIH et la chambre de commerce de Saint- Louis, le CRETF, Kajoor Jankeen, et la chambre de commerce à Thiès, Caritas Kaolack et la Chambre des métiers de Kaolack, et Rufisque Tech Hub.

Some of our challenge entrepreneurs

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Deemba SENE

Success

Demba is a recent graduate of the Faculty of Letters and Humanities at Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar. Following his training, Demba was to embrace…

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MARIE FRANÇOISE NIOUKY

Commercialisation de produits halieutiques

It was with great interest that she followed the program’s training courses to be able to apply them to her project …

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GORA DIAKHATÉ

Maraîchage

Market gardening in our region is not overdeveloped, and it’s up to us young people to give it the strength to grow and boost our economy. My goal …

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Tidjane

TIJOO

The marketing system for beekeeping products remains disorganized. A large proportion of the volume of honey marketed passes through an unidentified and untraceable circuit…

Chris IYOKA – Program Beneficiary

Our impact, by the numbers.

At the end of the program, 37% of the young entrepreneurs had been able to develop functional and profitable income-generating activities, 24% had found employment as a result of improving their knowledge and skills, and 15% were apprentices – in this case participants who had a tertiary or university level when they were recruited.

600 +

Recipients

600

Entrepreneurs

222 +

Income generating

activities

Program partners

What they say!

Dive into the heart of our training program through the inspiring testimonials of those who have lived it. Each story reflects a unique journey, challenges met and opportunities seized. These participants share their experience, their transformation and the impetus they received to realize their ambitions. Their success is our greatest achievement.

“How to manage your own business” was the phase of the training that impressed me most in the Challenge program. We had to acquire a lot of skills, as we were in the informal sector. As young people, we often complain about financing. But with faith in ourselves and perseverance, we can achieve our ambitions without expecting anything from anyone. ”

Gora Diakhaté – Dolèl Maraichage

“The Challenge program enabled me to focus more on my project, to go even further and to believe more in what I'm doing. I quickly realized that processing local produce, adding value to our resources and teaching my fellow citizens how to do it, were my sacred calling.” My challenge at this stage is to participate in the employability of young people and to open up to the rest of the world and turn it into a market. ”

Cheikh Talibouya Diémé – Entrepreneur, Agrobusiness

“Challenge, for me, is more than a program. It's an opportunity for us as young entrepreneurs to develop our skills. For me, it's a solution for Senegalese youth, and particularly for African youth. To conclude, I'm going to urge young Senegalese and Africans in general to tell them that neither modest means nor life's constraints should blunt our ambitions.”

Rokhaya Gaye – Agro-Dev, Agrobusiness

“How to manage your own business” was the phase of the training that impressed me most in the Challenge program. We had to acquire a lot of skills, as we were in the informal sector. As young people, we often complain about financing. But with faith in ourselves and perseverance, we can achieve our ambitions without expecting anything from anyone. ”

Gora Diakhaté – Dolèl Maraichage

“The Challenge program enabled me to focus more on my project, to go even further and to believe more in what I'm doing. I quickly realized that processing local produce, adding value to our resources and teaching my fellow citizens how to do it, were my sacred calling.” My challenge at this stage is to participate in the employability of young people and to open up to the rest of the world and turn it into a market. ”

Cheikh Talibouya Diémé – Entrepreneur, Agrobusiness

“Challenge, for me, is more than a program. It's an opportunity for us as young entrepreneurs to develop our skills. For me, it's a solution for Senegalese youth, and particularly for African youth. To conclude, I'm going to urge young Senegalese and Africans in general to tell them that neither modest means nor life's constraints should blunt our ambitions.”

Rokhaya Gaye – Agro-Dev, Agrobusiness

Discover our other editions

Challenge 2007

Challenge 2010 - 2012