Ahead of the first edition of the Regional Forum on Youth Employment and Employability, the Senegal River Valley Community Resilience and Development Project (PRDC-VFS) held a strategic pre-forum in Saint-Louis on Friday, December 26. This foundational meeting aimed to lay the groundwork for a major event dedicated to the professional integration of young people in a context marked by climate challenges.

This consultation brought together institutional actors, youth organizations, technical services and local partners around a clear objective: to mobilize stakeholders, analyze the realities on the ground and develop relevant recommendations that will serve as a basis for the regional forum, before their integration at the national level.

Placed under the theme "Employment and employability of young people in the context of climate resilience in the Senegal River Valley: supporting young people to seize the opportunities of the territories", the meeting made it possible to reflect on an inclusive organization of the forum while conducting a participatory diagnosis of basic community organizations, the territorial support ecosystem and promising sectors in the three regions targeted by the project.

Representing the coordinator of the PRDC-VFS, Lamine Dramé emphasized the importance of this preparatory stage. According to him, the pre-forum offers participants in Saint-Louis the opportunity to define the main directions of the future forum, specify its content, and discuss the selection criteria for organizations and young people eligible for project funding and support.

Addressing the concerns raised by participants, Mr. Dramé reassured them regarding the identification of priority sectors and the implementation of structured support along the value chains. "Young people will be involved at all levels, from upstream to downstream: seeds, inputs, agricultural equipment, production, processing, and marketing," he affirmed, emphasizing the integration of green jobs and climate resilience at the heart of the PRDC-VFS's actions.

Regarding the selection criteria, he specified that only youth organizations based in the Senegal River Valley, active in the targeted municipalities, and engaged in sectors related to climate resilience and sustainable employment would be considered. This participatory approach, he stated, is the core of the project and will also be applied to the selection of beneficiaries.

Presiding over the ceremony, the deputy governor of the region, Sidy Guissé Diongue, praised the initiative, stating that this forum provides a valuable platform for young people to express themselves and actively contribute to discussions on employment. He indicated that the selection criteria had been enriched by numerous observations and proposals arising from the discussions.

“All suggestions made will be taken into account,” he reassured, before announcing the upcoming establishment of a regional selection committee, under the authority of the governor and including technical services and all relevant stakeholders. This mechanism aims to guarantee a transparent, inclusive, and equitable process for the benefit of the youth of the Senegal River Valley.