📋 Tender Overview
In West Africa, more than 64% of the population is under 24 years old. The weakness of agricultural value chains does not allow these young people to access decent jobs. Switzerland supports the creation of gainful employment in the local milk sector for the benefit of young people. It counts on the leverage effect of its action to help reduce rural exodus and uncontrolled emigration and offer young people alternatives to joining violent groups.
Country/region Topic Period Budget
West Africa
Agriculture & food security
Agricultural development
Agricultural policy
Agricultural land resources
01.02.2022 - 31.12.2026
CHF 9,850,000
The project in brief
Background
A large majority of young people in West Africa do not have access to sufficiently remunerative employment in the rural economy due to weak structuring of agricultural value chains and family farms that are not very profitable and highly dependent on hazards. climatic. This carries risks of young people giving in to uncontrolled emigration and violent extremist groups. Some sectors such as local milk offer strong opportunities to reverse this trend. It is estimated that only 3% of the 5 billion liters of fresh milk produced per year is collected, processed and marketed, while milk imports are estimated at CHF 1 billion per year. In this context, the challenges to be met are: (i) increasing livestock productivity; (ii) Increase the volumes of milk collected;
Through the previous phases of the programme, the SDC has above all supported the process of developing the regional agricultural policy as well as regional strategies (youth employment and the promotion of local milk). This phase is the last of the ECOWAS agricultural policy support program and aims to contribute to the implementation of concrete actions for the employment of young people in the local milk sector.
Objectives Facilitate the retention and socio-professional integration of young people (men and women) in agricultural and agri-food value chains in the local milk sector - to: (i) reduce underemployment and unemployment among workers, and (ii ) minimize rural exodus and uncontrolled migration.
Target groups
Young men and women aged 18 to 35 from the ECOWAS region and Chad. The indirect beneficiaries are: consumers, States, input distributors, service providers, etc. The ECOWAS Commission and more specifically the Directorate of Agriculture & Rural Development (DADR) and its executing agency, the Regional Agency for Agriculture and Food ARAA.
Medium-term outcomes
- Decent employment opportunities for young people (men and women) in the local milk sector are increased, thanks to pilot projects resulting from calls for proposals;
- The technical and economic performance of local milk value chains is improved, through increased milk productivity and production, increased volumes of milk collected and processed and better market access for local dairy products ; - The conditions for the emergence of effi
