Unleashing the potential of youth to succeed in business

The two-day event was held in Dakar, Senegal on 13-14 November 2018 during the Global Entrepreneurship Week. It was a featured event of the Global Entrepreneurship Week and was jointly co-organized by the partners of the Global Initiative on Decent Jobs for Youth: International Labour Organization (ILO), International Trade Centre (ITC), United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). It is held in collaboration with the Government of Senegal, Agence Nationale pour la Promotion de l’Emploi des Jeunes (ANPEJ), Agence Sénégalaise de Promotion des Exportations (ASEPEX), the Government of Spain, the Government of Luxembourg, NEPAD Planning and Coordination Agency, Nestlé and Jokkolabs, host of the Global Entrepreneurship Week in Senegal.

Mr. Kawsu Sillah, AYC Executive Secretary alongside Mr. Lamin Darboe, Executive Director of Gambia National Youth Council participated at the Forum in Dakar.

Mr. Darboe spoke on a panel “Making policy work for youth entrepreneurship”.

This panel aimed at: Promoting youth entrepreneurship and self-employment calls for actions at policy and institutional levels. Evidence shows that effective reforms in business environments lead to the emergence of new firms and job creation. The session focuses on understanding what works and what does not in promoting an enabling policy and regulatory environment for young entrepreneurs and self-employed youth. Challenges in supporting youth entrepreneurship and self-employment
encountered by policymakers and institutions, particularly in West Africa, are also explored. The discussion will be informed by experiences and lessons learned from integrating youth into national entrepreneurship and industrial strategies, in coherence with relevant national strategies, including on employment and education, in line with regional development objectives anchored in frameworks such as the
Third Decade of Industrial Development for Africa (IDDA3), the Agenda 2063 of the
African Union and the Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA).

Other Speakers includes:
 Finda Koroma, Vice President, ECOWAS Commission
 Aminata Kouyaté, National Director of Youth Employment, Guinea
 Martin Ruvugabigwi, Chair, Commonwealth Alliance of Young Entrepreneurs

And was moderated by Fiorina Mugione, Chief, Entrepreneurship Section, Division on
Investment and Enterprise, UNCTAD.

For more information about the Forum including the Concept Note, Programme Guide, Participants List and other documents, please visit: https://www.decentjobsforyouth.org/events/32/en#overview

View the posts from National Youth Council facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/nycgambia/posts/2323211164574675

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