Kaffrine hosted a special Regional Development Committee (CRD) on employment this Wednesday. This meeting, chaired by Mrs. Lalla Camara, Deputy Governor for Administrative Affairs, marks an important step in the process of formulating the new National Employment Policy (PNE).

A strong commitment from the Government

On behalf of the Minister of Labor, Employment and Relations with Institutions, Secretary General Abdoulaye Guèye recalled that employment and employability remain at the heart of the priorities of the President of the Republic, His Excellency Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar Faye.

During the Council of Ministers of October 16, 2024, the Head of State instructed his government to lead the development of a coherent and ambitious policy, in line with the National Development Strategy 2025-2029 and Vision Senegal 2050.

The process of developing this policy was officially launched on May 15, 2025, with the technical and financial support of key partners such as the International Labor Office (ILO) and the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS).

A participatory and territorialized approach

According to Mr. Guèye, the aim is to build a national policy that is not designed solely in Dakar by experts and technicians, but that fully integrates the realities of the territories and the aspirations of the populations. Hence the organization of regional consultations, placed under the authority of the Governors, in order to gather the diagnoses, priorities and proposals of local actors.

The process is structured around several stages:

strengthening the capacities of the National Steering Committee (COPIL),

, the realization of an in-depth national diagnosis with the collaboration of the ANSD,

, regional consultations, like that of Kaffrine,

then the development and validation of the final document of the National Employment Policy.

Kaffrine's challenges highlighted

The Kaffrine meeting highlighted a number of regional challenges:

insufficient access to qualifying vocational training,

, under-exploitation of agricultural, pastoral and agroforestry potential,

,the need to strengthen support for young people and women in matters of entrepreneurship,

and the importance of better equipping local integration and training structures.

Relevant contributions were made by local authorities, decentralized services, youth and women's organizations, as well as by representatives of the private sector.

The Secretary-General highlighted the National State-Private Employers Convention, which he described as a "springboard to the future." Thanks to this mechanism, 3,500 young people across the country are benefiting from their first professional experience this year.

In Kaffrine, 50 young people have already been integrated thanks to the commitment of 18 local businesses, operating in particular in the hotel, catering, services and agriculture sectors.

An ambitious reform of this Convention is underway and should result, in the coming months, in a modernized version better adapted to the realities of businesses and the needs of the job market.

A collective dynamic to consolidate

Chairing the meeting, Ms. Lalla Camara emphasized the need for inclusive dialogue and shared responsibility. She urged participants to produce a regional report rich in concrete recommendations, in order to effectively inform the national assessment.

The Secretary General, for his part, paid tribute to the work of the Regional Labor and Social Security Inspectorate and the Employment-Entrepreneurship Centers, which are energetically supporting this dynamic. He also invited young people to register on the Tabax Senegal platform to seize the opportunities offered by the State and its partners.

An employment policy designed by and for the regions.Mr.

Mr. Guèye reaffirmed that the future National Employment Policy will be inclusive, sustainable and territorialized. It must take root in local realities while remaining aligned with Senegal's national and international ambitions.

"The development of this policy is not the responsibility of a single ministry or experts. It is the result of collective work, in a spirit of dialogue and shared responsibility," he stressed.

Kaffrine's work thus constitutes a decisive step towards a reference document which will guide, over several years, the promotion of employment, in particular for young people and women, considered to be true drivers of national development.