Ouagadougou – On Thursday (17/08), IOM, the UN Migration Agency launched a new project dealing with the nexus between youth, employment and migration in central east Burkina Faso. It aims to promote youth employability and entrepreneurship to reduce the risk of irregular migration in the region.

Burkina Faso, like other countries in sub-Saharan Africa, is witnessing an increasingly high migration flow due to unemployment and lack of income opportunities for its very young and fast-growing population. Youth are most affected by the phenomenon of underemployment and unemployment due to their low level of employability (66.7 per cent of youth have not received any training) and difficulties in accessing the means of production, which drives them to irregular migration.

The launch event in Tenkodogo was attended by the General Secretary and the General Directors of the Ministry of Youth, and Professional Training and Insertion, political and administrative authorities of the region, the representatives of the Italian Development Cooperation and Belgian Development Cooperation, youth representatives and civil society organizations. Marie Stella Ndiaye, IOM project manager, presented the project followed by a discussion on the implementation modalities.

"Young people are full of energy and often overflow with creativity and inventiveness and our countries need innovative solutions to solve the increasingly complex problems they face. I am convinced that by empowering the youth we can make the best from the extraordinary human capital that they represent to contribute to the development, peace and renewal of our societies," said Ndiaye. "This project we are launching today is a proof of our shared commitment to address the crucial issue of access to training and employment for young people," added Ndiaye.

"The Italian Cooperation's commitment is to support young people, to set up micro-enterprises, but above all, to support them in their implementation to achieve the best possible results," said Bruno Gennaro Gentile, Director of the Italian Agency Development Cooperation in Burkina Faso.

This three year project (2016-2019) aims to contribute to the socio-economic development in Burkina Faso and tackle irregular migration by raising awareness of the risks of irregular migration in the region. A study on the key niches in the region will help to identify business opportunities. 750 beneficiaries including women and disabled persons will be identified and trained on micro-enterprise creation techniques. At the end of this training, 375 of them will receive technical and financial support to set up their own businesses.

The project is funded by the Italian Development Cooperation and Belgian Development Cooperation and is implemented in partnership with the Ministry of Youth, professional Training and Insertion, NGOs and civil society organizations.

For more information please contact Marie Stella NDIAYE at IOM Burkina Faso, Tel: +226 56 58 74 71, Email: msndiaye@iom.int