| Project Detail |
FIT initiative! Senegal: supporting young people towards employment, as part of the YOG Dakar 2026
More than 300,000 young Senegalese enter the job market each year, in a context characterized by a very high rate of young women and men who are neither in employment, nor in studies, nor in training (33.1% NEET among 15-34 year olds).
In 2026, the African continent will host for the first time the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games (YOG), which will be held in Senegal and which will offer real opportunities for economic integration for young people, before, during and after the event.
To contribute to the legacy of the YOG Dakar 2026, under the leadership of the Organizing Committee for the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games and the Ministry of Vocational Training, Apprenticeship and Integration (MFPAI) of Senegal , the FIT Initiative! Senegal aims to improve decent employment for young people in Senegal in their diversity.
In a Team Europe approach involving the European Union and several of its member countries, the FIT! Senegal intervenes at the different stages of the integration process for young people: orientation, training, integration, employment and self-employment.
LuxDev plays the role of coordinator of this joint initiative of Team Europe and deploys with operational partners an action consisting of:
create new professional opportunities for young people, particularly for YOG volunteers;
create and strengthen training sectors in professions linked to the YOG;
strengthen dual training;
contribute to enhancing the image of professional and technical training through the organization of career, sports and cultural Olympics;
create sports infrastructures in training establishments in the form of training sites;
integrate a “Sport for development” approach and deploy an Olympic, civic and sports certificate in establishments.
In order to allow nationals from all regions of Senegal to benefit from the professional integration opportunities offered by the YOG Dakar 2026, the initiative will extend throughout the national territory.
The initiative will integrate issues related to gender, the inclusion of people with disabilities but also sustainable development, by focusing on “green professions” and opportunities emanating from the digital sector.
Young people are involved in the initiative, not only as direct beneficiaries of the activities, but also as stakeholders in the reflection and implementation. This commitment made by the partners of the initiative is materialized by the experimental application of the Youth Friendly Standards .
Investing in youth and contributing to job creation are the main objectives of the FIT Initiative! Senegal.
The FIT Initiative! Senegal is driven by the Ministry of Vocational Training, Apprenticeship and Integration of Senegal, the Organizing Committee of the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games and the European Union. The Initiative is co-financed by the European Union, Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Switzerland in a Team Europe approach. The French Development Agency (AFD), AICS, the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation, GIZ, the German Agency for International Cooperation and LuxDev, the Luxembourg Agency for Development Cooperation, are working jointly to promote of youth employability. |
