The Challenge program aims to highlight the potential and boldness of young entrepreneurs, graduates, and students with the goal of achieving self-realization and building sustainable businesses that are mindful of their economic profitability and positive impact on society.

The program is a concrete demonstration of the priority given by Synapse and its partners to training a dynamic and competent new generation, as well as celebrating effort and success.

By promoting inclusive business models, creating jobs, and improving access to goods, services, and livelihoods for people at the base of the pyramid, the various editions of the Challenge program have helped build bridges between businesses led by young people and low-income populations. The resulting benefits go beyond immediate profits or higher incomes gained by the participants. The program has thus provided everyone involved, not just the privileged, with an opportunity to improve their living conditions. It has contributed to opening the paths to future prosperity.

Odyssey Program

Training courses

The program follows a basic process that, in essence, is built around three interconnected phases – observation, retreat, and practice – allowing young people to perceive and actualize their dreams and emerging opportunities, to spark within them the drive, motivation, and commitment to achieve them, and to affirm their talents through action.

Retirement

Gain access to deeper knowledge, discover your potential and talents, and overcome your own limitations

Educational expeditions

Organised visits to sustainable businesses and one-to-one meetings with leaders from different sectors

Formation

Enabling promising leaders to strengthen their entrepreneurial spirit and acquire the knowledge and skills to develop it

Jury

The jury is the activity that marks the end of the Business & Entrepreneurship sessions. Divided into several panels according to their sector, the entrepreneurs present their projects to a panel of judges after three intensive weeks of training. The members of the jury assess the relevance, sustainability and impact of the young leaders’ initiatives, before giving them advice and suggestions for the next stage of their entrepreneurial adventure.

Networking

This programme is designed for the category of emerging or aspiring entrepreneurs who wish to take on leadership roles in the private sector or set up their own businesses on the continent. It introduces participants to a variety of approaches to business and enterprise, including those used to address social issues. It also strengthens participants’ leadership, business and entrepreneurship skills.

Incubation

Incubation within the Challenge programme is designed to support project leaders as they transform their ideas into viable businesses. Through personalised support, targeted training and access to a network of experts, incubatees are given the tools they need to structure their business model, refine their strategies and meet the challenges of setting up and running a business.

For more information on the programme, download the one pager.

Previous Editions

The Challenge program aims to enrich Senegal with its future generation. Through its components Passeport pour l’emploi and Empacto, the program highlights the potential and boldness of young aspiring entrepreneurs, graduates, and students, with the goal of achieving self-realization and building sustainable businesses that are mindful of their economic profitability and positive impact on society.

The program is a concrete demonstration of the priority given by Synapse and its partners to the training of a dynamic and competent new generation, as well as celebrating the effort and success of the program’s beneficiaries.

Edition 2007

Edition 2010 – 2012

Edition 2014 – 2016

Tangible impact and prospects

The Challenge programme has touched thousands of lives across Senegal by stimulating innovation and entrepreneurship in strategic sectors. The statistics reveal the scale of its impact, reflecting its central role in creating opportunities for young people, improving living conditions for communities and promoting inclusive economic models. Find out more about the achievements of this initiative and the transformations it has brought about.

2700+

Bénéficiaires

2940+

Entrepreneurs

24160+

Intrapreneurs

1140+

Activités

génératrices

revenus

Some of our entrepreneurs from Chalenge

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Ami SANE & Fatou DIAKHATE

AMIFA FOOD

The project (Truck Food) AMIFA FOOD is an American concept offering a mobile catering service at a specific location.

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Bassirou GUEYE

ECRAN

Bassirou creates paintings by recycling plastic materials. Not satisfied with the result and not particularly proud of the quality, he pushes the reflection further…

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Claude SARR

A-FREE-CANA

A Free-Cana is a catering project aimed at promoting local products and effectively contributing to the fight against malnutrition…

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Mohamet NDIONGUE

Epsilon

In his background, he grew up in an agricultural environment under the guidance of an uncle who was the director of an agricultural center in northern Senegal, and it was there that his love for the land began…

Stories from former participants

Dive into the heart of our training programme through the inspiring stories of those who have experienced it first-hand. Each story reflects a unique journey, challenges faced and opportunities seized. These participants share their experience, their transformation and the impetus they received to realise their ambitions. Their success is our greatest achievement.