Project holders and young entrepreneurs from Tunisia, Morocco, Senegal and Burkina Faso are taking part on Wednesday in an information day on self-employment models, organised by the Challenge Fund for Youth Employment (CFYE), funded by the Netherlands’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Speaking at the event, the Dutch ambassador to Tunisia, Josephine Frantzen, noted that her country launched a self-employment programme in 2019 to support the private sector in several African countries, including Tunisia, to set up youth employment initiatives and create decent work opportunities.
She added that this programme focuses on tackling the causes of unemployment and promoting agricultural and agro-food projects.
The ambassador also pointed out that the programme runs until 2026 and aims to take 230,000 young people out of unemployment in the aforementioned African countries. It equally aims to support the private sector and the integration of young people through sustainable solutions and to promote the quality of th
eir business activities.
Director of Employment Promotion at the Ministry of Employment and Vocational Training, Faïza Kallel, presented Tunisia’s experience in the field of entrepreneurship, saying the Ministry plans to develop and simplify procedures to facilitate the creation of businesses and increase job opportunities.
She pointed out that the current economic fabric was unable to provide jobs for job seekers due to a number of structural problems, in particular the fact that 80% of Tunisian businesses employed fewer than 10 people.
She argued that entrepreneurship is a sustainable solution to unemployment.
Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse