Senegal - Project to Support and Enhance the Entrepreneurial Initiatives of Women and Young People (PAVIE)

The Project to Support and Promote Women’s and Youth Entrepreneurial Initiatives (PAVIE I) is the first phase of a programme named “Entrepreneurial Initiatives Promotion Programme (PROVIE)”, which consists of two phases. It is thus in line with the Emerging Senegal Plan (PSE) in that it will help Delegation for Rapid Entrepreneurship (DER) to build its capacity to finance youth and women's entrepreneurial initiatives in the priority sectors of the PSE. Indeed, the plan for the second phase (2019-2023) is to create the conditions for a very strong and dynamic private sector in order to push growth to very high levels through the establishment of economic poles. The three-year project designed based on a demand-driven approach and implemented in coordination with the private sector, in particular banks and microfinance institutions will help to finance women's and young people's entrepreneurial initiatives throughout Senegal while providing for trade-related and business management technical support. It is structured around three components based on the project’s areas of intervention as well as the positioning of AfDB and AFD, which are cofinancing the project. The first component, concerning the promotion of entrepreneurship in agricultural and artisanal value chains with high job-creating potential will be handled by AfDB. The second, concerning the development of MSMEs with high value- and job-creating potential in the other priority sectors of the PSE, will be handled by AFD. The third component, concerning programme management and capacity building for DER, will be handled by AfDB and AFD together, to ensure compliance with these two institutions. Its total cost is estimated at UA 90.55 million.