Niamey – Over 10,000 young entrepreneurs, job seekers, government representatives, and youth from Niger, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, and Burkina Faso, participated in a job fair on 15 and 16 March in Agadez, northern Niger, to open up entrepreneurship and employment opportunities for young people in Niger.

In partnership with the Ministry of Employment and the Ministry of Industry and Youth Entrepreneurship and local incubator CIPMEN, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) supported this fair to enable youth to meet and network with employers and entrepreneurs to discuss employment opportunities. This will enhance their contributions to the socio-economic development of the Agadez region, situated on a major migration corridor between west, north and west Africa.

"In the current context, developing and promoting initiatives that create employment opportunities for youth is a viable alternative to irregular migration," says Dr. Ibrahim Boukary, Minister of Employment and Social Protection. "The job fair is an initiative that will boost the environment for youth entrepreneurship to foster and promote the development of the local economy,” he adds.

Situated in the Sahel, Niger has one of the world’s youngest populations with two out of three Nigeriens younger than 25 years old, according to the National Institute of Statistics (INS). To ensure that young people can be effective agents of change and can achieve their aspirations, they need to have access to employment and decision-making forums.

The youth in the Agadez region is facing specific challenges, including insecurity and instability because of the conflicts in Mali and Libya and the effects of climate change that is eroding natural resources such as land and water. These challenges sometimes force Nigerien youth to seek greener pastures in neighbouring countries in North Africa.

“It is important to organise such events to empower youth with information about employment opportunities and to strengthen local networks,” says Barbara Rijks, IOM Chief of Mission in Niger. “The job fair is an excellent example of a partnership between the Government of Niger, CIPMEN, and local business and employers to inspire young Nigeriens for a brighter future,” she adds.

The fair is supported by IOM’s project “Initiative for Development of Enterprises” (IDEE), funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Agency of Italy and the project “Understanding and addressing conflict drivers along migration routes in Agadez” funded by the UN Peacebuilding Fund.

The aim of IDEE is to propose alternatives to irregular migration for Nigerien youth and promote regular migration pathways. Since its launch in June 2017 up to date, 219 young Nigerien entrepreneurs were able to start their own business and more than 700 jobs were created. In January 2022, the project launched the online platform AGADART.COM to promote and value the artisanal products from Niger.

For more information, please contact Aïssatou Sy, Public Information Officer at IOM Niger, Tel: +227 80066531, Email: aisy@iom.int.