Niamey – On 24 February, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) and the government of Niger marked the closing of the project “Initiatives for the development of the enterprise” – IDEE Bridge (Initiatives pour le développement de l’entreprise).

To boost youth employment and combat irregular migration, AICS and IOM completed a two-year employment project to increase job opportunities for youth in the Agadez, Tahoua and Zinder regions of Niger, as well as the capital Niamey.

With a young and rapidly growing population of 24 million, Niger has one of the highest youth unemployment rates in Africa. An estimated 23 percent of Nigeriens between the ages of 15 and 29 are unemployed, according to the International Labour Organization (ILO).

“IOM views the promotion of local livelihoods and entrepreneurial initiatives as the key to empowering Nigerien youth and developing their skills,” says Sophie Nonnenmacher, IOM’s Chief of Mission in Niger. “By supporting the government of Niger in creating effective labor market integration mechanisms, local youth are offered alternatives to irregular migration,” she adds.

In collaboration with the Centre incubateur des petites et moyennes entreprises au Niger (CIPMEN), the main actor in favor of innovative entrepreneurship in Niger, the project provided technical training to 210 young Nigeriens, supported 80 local businesses and sensitized over 15,000 persons on self-employment and entrepreneurial activities as an alternative to irregular migration.

One of the main project objectives is to harness opportunities for vulnerable youth in the focus areas to improve their income and resilience through sustainable, productive and profitable employment.

"I am happy to see, by the project's achievement figures, that this initiative has provided an essential boost to break down barriers and contribute to a development dynamic," says Fabio Minniti, director of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) office in Niamey. "I am especially happy to see that there are young men and women who, thanks to this project, have been able to see their ideas come to fruition," he adds.

In Agadez, which hosts a large migrant population, IOM organized one of the largest job fairs ever held in Niger, with up to 10,000 participants. The focus was on economic opportunities available for young job seekers and to inform youth of available local opportunities.

In January 2022, the project launched an e-commerce platform – www.agadart.com – to promote and enhance the value of Niger’s artisanal products. Through this initiative, artisanal products from the Agadez region have become available worldwide via the platform.

To increase the interest of Nigerien and migrant youth in local work and entrepreneurship, IOM trained 50 artisans and provided them with toolkits, while at the same time integrating 20 youth, including migrants, into craft workshops as apprentices.

“Through this project, more than 500 jobs have been created in the four intervention zones of Agadez, Tahoua, Niamey and Zinder,” says Bako Illiassou, Secretary General of the Ministry of Industry and Youth Entrepreneurship. "In the Agadez region, the opening of showrooms for handicrafts, the training of young artisans and the holding of a job fair at the University of Agadez have supported the development of the entrepreneurial environment in the region," he adds.

Under the project, a youth finance fund worth over 500,000 euros was launched. Thanks to this fund, 400 youth were provided with micro-credits and access to information on funding opportunities to develop their entrepreneurial projects. Since its launch, 1,500 jobs have been created.

For more information, please contact Aïssatou SY, Public Information Officer, Tel: +227 80 06 65 31, aisy@iom.int