Tragedy in Lompoul: the silence broken and the urgent need for a national response to the ravages of illegal immigration (By Mansour NDIAYE)

The tragedy on the Grande Côte has once again plunged Senegal into mourning. Thirty-four young compatriots lost their lives, swallowed by the Atlantic Ocean in a desperate attempt to reach Europe. As the lists of missing persons grow longer in Lompoul and throughout the country, this hecatomb demands a paradigm shift: transforming collective outrage into a concrete, costed, and immediate structural economic action plan.

A youth without prospects, trapped by the informal economy

Behind the horrific toll of the Lompoul tragedy lies a persistent social reality. According to data from the National Agency for Statistics and Demography (ANSD) , the informal economy in Senegal employs between 85% and 90% of young workers. Among them are hundreds of thousands of street vendors roaming the urban streets without social security or access to traditional banking services.

In its reports on migration profiles and displacement tracking matrices, the International Organization for Migration (IOM Senegal) clearly identifies the main coastal areas of departure: Kayar, Mbour, Joal-Fadiouth, Saint-Louis, Rufisque, Bargny, Djiffer, and Kafountine . Migrant flows originate primarily from inland regions such as Tambacounda, Kédougou, Matam, Diourbel (particularly Touba), Kolda, and Ziguinchor .

The paradox is striking: as the Directorate of Forecasting and Economic Studies (DPEE) points out , these areas of origin and transit are brimming with untapped economic potential. Whether it be maritime trades (fishing, fish processing), crafts, local tourism, or subsistence and cash crop agriculture inland, the resources exist but lack structure.

Socialization and formalization through Islamic microfinance

To sustainably reintegrate these young people into the economic fabric without offending their ethical or religious convictions, participatory and Islamic finance offers a powerful tool:

1. Murabaha (Buy-Resell at cost price plus): It allows merchants to acquire their stock (textiles, electronics, cosmetics) without going into debt at usurious rates, with repayment spread over 6 to 12 months.
2. The Mudaraba and the Musharaka (Investment Partnership): These instruments finance structuring equipment (modern kiosks, tricycles) by sharing the profits and risks between the financial institution and the young entrepreneur.
3. Formalisation and social valorisation: In return for the financing, the beneficiary registers with the Trade and Personal Property Credit Register (RCCM) or under the status of self-employed, obtaining a professional card and health insurance.
4. Mobilization of Zakat and Waqf: Legal alms funds and charitable foundations can constitute guarantee funds for the most vulnerable (women and young people without capital).

Remobilizing microfinance with a 75 billion FCFA financial roadmap

The Islamic Microfinance Development Fund (IMDF) and Decentralized Financial Systems (DFS) must set clear objectives. Remobilizing stakeholders would allow for the creation, through a call for contributions, of a 75 billion FCFA fund over three years (2027-2030) to target 200,000 street vendors and vulnerable young people at risk of irregular migration.

Key deployment objectives

1. Total budget : 50 to 75 billion FCFA over 3 years
2. Average ticket price per entrepreneur: 500,000 to 2,000,000 FCFA
3. Target for direct integration: 150,000 to 200,000 young people and street vendors
4. Maximum profit margin : Capped between 5% and 7% per year

To guarantee the impact, at least 40% of the funds must be earmarked for the coastal and rural areas of origin ( Lompoul, Léona, Kébémer, Saint-Louis, Mbour, Casamance ), supported by mobile one-stop shops in the weekly markets ( loumas ).

redirecting local savings through financial education

Reports from the European agency Frontex and the Spanish Ministry of the Interior reveal that the average cost of crossing by pirogue to the Canary Islands ranges from 400,000 to 800,000 CFA francs per person (sometimes from 300,000 to 600,000 CFA francs depending on the intermediary). On land routes ( via the desert or the "Nicaragua" route ), the costs climb to between 1,500,000 and 4,000,000 CFA francs.

To finance these crossings, a family raises on average between 1,500,000 and 3,000,000 FCFA . This reality shows that local savings exist, but that they are being siphoned off by clandestine networks to the detriment of productive investments.

It is therefore necessary to redirect this family capital through:

Productive savings products : Structuring of Islamic rotating savings and credit associations (ROSCAs) connected to Mobile Money and issuance of community micro-Sukuk (Islamic bonds) from 50,000 FCFA to finance local infrastructure (agricultural processing units, cold storage facilities in Lompoul).

Financial literacy: Practical training on cash management, net margin calculation and the separation between savings and working capital.

A plea for a job pact with the private sector

According to studies by the DPEE and the Ministry of Economy, Planning and Cooperation , local employment today is based primarily on self-employment and the informal sector rather than on formal salaried recruitment.

The National Agency for Workforce Assistance (ANAMA) and municipal services estimate the number of street vendors in Dakar to be between 50,000 and 80,000. Nationally, the ANSD estimates the total number of micro-distribution and informal trade operators at between 250,000 and 300,000 (with 50% to 60% concentrated in the capital and the remainder spread across Touba, Thiès, Kaolack, and Saint-Louis).

The private sector must integrate these vendors into formal value chains by:

1. Direct access to wholesale prices: Agreement between food and telecom companies guaranteeing a net margin of 15% to 25% to formalized sellers.
2. Tax incentives : A 30% tax credit on payroll for any company recruiting in the departure areas, and exemption from social security contributions for 24 months on first hiring contracts in sustainable agriculture or fishing.
3. A CSR retraining fund: Dedicate 1% of large companies' CSR budgets to train 50,000 young people per year in the jobs of the future (digital, solar energy, construction).

Conclusion

The tragedy in Lompoul must not remain just another tragic incident in the grim tally of the Atlantic route. By mobilizing ethical finance, directing family savings towards value-creating projects, and empowering the private sector, Senegal can offer its youth a promising future on its own soil.

BY MANSOUR NDIAYE

Financial expert

MBA in Islamic Finance

Industrial