Senegal

AFFORD's innovative approach mobilizes the financial, intellectual and political assets of the diaspora and channels them to stimulate entrepreneurship, economic growth, social development and job creation in countries of origin. Interventions are channeled through the AFFORD Business Center (ABC), which provides holistic services to SMEs and investors in the diaspora and at home, and plays a crucial role in the promotion and realization of innovative development projects.

With support from the SIMPI project, IGAD embarked on an inter-REC learning mission to the ECOWAS Commission to engage in a mutual dialogue on free movement, transhumance policies, and migration data. The initiative served as a platform for both regional organizations to exchange experiences, address challenges, and share best practices in facilitating cross-border mobility. The mission enabled IGAD to gain insights into ECOWASs approach while also offering perspectives from its own regional context.

The Tech@work project is a global initiative by IOE and Microsoft aimed at training 20,000 young people in digital and entrepreneurial skills. The project targets young people in four African countries: the Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Senegal, and Uganda. Local employers' federations manage the trainings on the ground

The general objective of the project is to strengthen the resilience of displaced populations, migrants and communities and establish inclusive, peaceful and sustainable natural resource management in the Sahel and especially in Mali, and improve the availability of data on mixed migration in the Sahel, particularly on the environment-migration nexus and through the collection, management, analysis and dissemination of data on internal and cross-border displacement.

The Resilient Communities Programme (CoRe) is a four-year initiative gathering civil society organizations (CSOs) from 15 countries across the globe. The main objectives are to promote a just ecological transition, support local projects, and strengthen community resilience. The targeted population includes vulnerable communities affected by socio-environmental crises.

The Africa Regional Migration Program (ARMP) focuses on enhancing the capacities of host governments and civil society to support the resilience of local communities. Its primary objective is to strengthen migration governance, promote partnerships, and enhance preparedness for crises. This program will enhance the coordination and cooperation of governments in addressing migration challenges and leveraging multiple opportunities associated with well-managed migration for both migrants and host societies. 

Migration of African Talents through Capacity building and Hiring (MATCH) is a 39‑month initiative funded by the European Union (EU) aimed at providing skilled talents to European private sector companies whose needs for qualified staff could not be satisfied by the offer available on the EU labour market. 

By joining MATCH, companies from Belgium, Italy, The Netherlands and Luxembourg were supported with the sourcing and pre-selection of African talents from Senegal and Nigeria, two countries offering a surplus of qualified professionals.

This circular mobility scheme makes knowledge and practical exchange possible between Belgian and Senegalese companies. With a view to building the capacities of Senegalese entrepreneurs and connecting them to their Belgian peers, the project aims to offer short-term migration opportunities for business purposes while contributing to the construction of a sustainable economic partnership between the two countries.

The O-REMIT project by the International Organization for Migration uses data from various sources to analyze transaction costs and aim for a threshold below 3%. This provides insights on cost-efficient remittance options and help the diaspora in Belgium make meaningful investments in their home country.

Three streams will be implemented:

Stream 1: Understand the remittance flows and behaviour of diaspora in Belgium.

DIASDEV is a joint project initiated by the French Development Agency and the Caisse des Dépôts from France, Italy, Morocco, Senegal and Tunisia and carried out in partnership with public-sector financial institutions in 2021. 

DIASDEV aims to increase diasporas’ capacity to mobilize their savings for investing in their countries of origin. To achieve this goal, the project is structured around two pillars: 

i) Facilitation fund for diasporas’ investments, offering funding for technical and financial assistance to financial operators, banks, post offices