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A Growing Job Market for Young People in Senegal: The Fishing Sector

Categories: Sub-Saharan Africa, Senegal, Economics & Business, Good News, Governance, Labor, Youth

fishermen return to the beach at Soumbedioun, Dakar via wikimedia commons  Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 [1]

fishermen return to the beach at Soumbedioun, Dakar via wikimedia commons Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0


To combat rampant youth unemployment in Senegal, a new initiative geared toward job creation in the fishing industry was created. Ibrahima Lô, one of the lead on the project, explains [2] [fr] :

Nous avons un déficit de personnel. Tous les deux ans, il peut y avoir un recrutement de volontaires. Rien n'est garanti mais on fait le nécessaire pour leur recrutement dans la Fonction publique.

We have a glaring need in human ressources (in the sector). Every two years, there is a new wave of recruitment. No permanent job is guaranteed but we tried as best as we can to integrate new recruits into public service.

The fishing sector has replaced the groundnut sector as Senegal's export leader. 17% of the workforce (600,000 workers) already belongs to this sector.