The issue of youth employment remains a major challenge for the government of Senegal. Yesterday, during a press conference as a prelude to the “Quinzaine de l’Europe”, Aïssata Tall Sall called on the partners to mobilize more around this sector.
By Dieynaba KANE – As a prelude to the “Europe Fortnight” which will start on May 9, the head of the European Union delegation to Senegal and the Minister for Foreign Affairs returned, during a conference of press, on the partnership between this entity and our country. Aïssata Tall Sall, who was delighted with the cooperation with EU countries, however insisted on “the problem of employment and the employability of young people, which remains a major challenge”. According to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, this challenge is “induced by a demand which is growing faster than supply”. Ms Sall, who recalled the various projects and programs implemented to find a solution to the problem of employment, called on the partners in this perspective “to greater mobilization around the growth-accelerating sectors contained in the PAP2a and in phase 3 of the Pse”. A call that falls within the framework of the priority programs of the organization. This is also the whole meaning of the theme chosen this year for the “Quinzaine de l’Europe”.
European Union-Senegal
Entitled “European Union-Senegal, a partnership for the future”, this theme, according to the head of the EU delegation, “will be broken down into three sub-themes: a future for young people, a connected future, a future sustainable”. With regard to the future of young people, Mr Jean-Marc Pisani reveals that “Team Europe is mobilizing to support the efforts made by the authorities, civil society and young people themselves, in order to respond to the many challenges it is still facing and multiplying opportunities in terms of access to training, financing and employment”. On a connected future, he underlined that through “the global Gateway investment package, the EU’s priority is to stimulate smart, clean and secure connections in the areas of digital, energy and transport, and to strengthen health, education and research systems in a sustainable and reliable way”.
In addition, the Minister of Foreign Affairs insisted on “the need to have the same priorities once we have finished sharing the same values” with the EU. Drawing up a glowing assessment of the cooperation, she declares that it “will have made it possible, with the implementation of numerous projects and programmes, to significantly improve the living conditions of our most vulnerable populations and to contribute to laying the groundwork for a sustainable economic growth”.
According to Ms Sall, this is evidenced by “the European strategy for Senegal 2018-2023 which, with budget support of 70 million euros in 2023, places the EU and its members among Senegal’s leading development partners”. And to add: “This strategy has made it possible to improve the complementarity of interventions, but also to promote the coherence of EU commitments with Senegal on a set of priorities that we have shared.”
This article is originally published on lequotidien.sn
