International climate cooperation project in Senegal: Youth entrepreneurship for sustainable water resource management

As part of the Programme de Coopération Climatique Internationale (PCCI), initiated by the government of Quebec as part of its Plan for a Green Economy 2030, a project combining economic development through entrepreneurship and integrated water resource management in Senegal has been launched by the International Secretariat for Water (ISW).

Conducted in partnership with Senegal’s Initiative Prospective Agricole et Rurale (IPAR) and the École des Entrepreneurs du Québec (ÉEQ), this project, entitled “Jeunes Entrepreneurs Verts pour une Communauté Sénégalaise Prospère et Résiliente”, is being rolled out over a 3-year period in the Podor department, in the Senegal River watershed.

Based on the principles of agroecology, this project aims to reconcile local economic development with an integrated water resource management approach, offering vulnerable populations joint Quebec-Senegal expertise in youth mobilization, water resource management and entrepreneurial development.

Through entrepreneurial development training and technical apprenticeships, the “Jeunes Entrepreneurs Verts” project aims to enable participants to develop their economic autonomy and promote sustainable practices in response to climate change. In particular, the project encourages initiatives led by women, and offers resources to bridge the financing gap.

This project builds on the “Voices of the river: pathways to peace” initiative, which provided support and technical assistance to ten entrepreneurs from Podor and Saint-Louis, enabling them to develop their project proposals and ideas.

Together, ISW and its partners hope to make the “Jeunes Entrepreneurs Verts” project a concrete and sustainable response to the environmental and economic challenges facing the Podor region, for a more prosperous and resilient future.

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