Creating green jobs and improving the living environment: DER-FJ and DGCV pool their expertise

The General Delegation for Rapid Entrepreneurship for Women and Youth (DER-FJ) and the General Directorate for Living Environment (DGCV) of the Ministry of the Environment and Ecological Transition have decided to pool their expertise and resources to develop synergies in support of women's and youth entrepreneurship. They signed a framework partnership agreement on Thursday, November 5, 2026, to develop synergies that support women's and youth entrepreneurship, particularly in initiatives contributing to improving living conditions. The agreement was initialed by Dr. Abdoulaye Niane, General Delegate of the DER-FJ, and Mr. Bouna Seck, Director General of Living Environment, at the DER-FJ headquarters in Dakar.

Objective: "to promote the socio-economic integration of women and young people through the creation of green jobs, support and financing of income-generating activities linked to improving living conditions"

This agreement reflects the commitment of the General Delegation for Rapid Entrepreneurship for Women and Youth (DER-FJ) and the General Directorate for Living Environment (DGCV) to pool their expertise and resources to develop synergies that support women's and youth entrepreneurship, particularly in initiatives that contribute to improving living conditions. The objective is to promote the socio-economic integration of women and youth through the creation of green jobs, support, and financing of income-generating activities linked to improving living conditions. The scope of this agreement primarily concerns DER-FJ beneficiaries, while adhering to its eligibility criteria: women aged 18 and over, and young people aged 18 to 40.

Beyond the institutional commitment it reflects, this agreement carries a common ambition: to make the improvement of the living environment a real lever for job creation and entrepreneurial opportunities for young people and women.

Thanks to this partnership, the DER-FJ and the General Directorate for Living Environment will identify opportunities, select project promoters, strengthen their capacities, facilitate their financing and promote their access to markets.

The main areas of collaboration

Through this framework partnership agreement, the DER-FJ commits to supporting the Living Environment Department technically and humanly, within the limits of its available resources, in accordance with its missions and procedures regarding financial matters, programs, and landscaping projects for improving living environments, particularly the green program. It also commits to funding, according to its procedures and eligibility criteria, projects by women and youth and their associations working in the living environment sector, especially in the areas covered by the green program.

DER-FJ also commits to ensuring the strengthening of technical and managerial capacities as well as the supervision of the beneficiaries of its projects.

The Directorate General for the Living Environment, for its part, commits to: supporting the DER-FJ in promoting certain green jobs and preserving the living environment of the beneficiaries of its projects; ensuring the monitoring, maintenance, and cleaning of the sites developed within the framework of this partnership; and providing the DER-FJ with an atlas of sites to be developed and information relating to site security. It also commits to identifying and communicating to the DER-FJ employment and activity opportunities that could be entrusted to the beneficiaries of these programs, in compliance with current public procurement regulations.

The Living Environment Department also undertakes to invite the DER-FJ to participate in promotion and awareness-raising activities on the living environment, particularly among its beneficiaries.

"Doing business without causing damage"

According to the General Delegate of DER-FJ, this agreement is based on an essential principle. "Our partnership is based on a fundamental principle: to undertake without causing damage. Economic activities must be part of an organized use of spaces, respect their public purpose, and contribute to their maintenance and preservation," explained Dr. Abdoulaye Niane.

In this regard, Dr. Niane, after commending Mr. Bouna Seck and his team for their commitment, emphasized that their shared responsibility will now be to translate "this agreement into concrete initiatives with measurable results" for the benefit of the regions and their inhabitants. "I am convinced that this partnership will contribute to the emergence of a genuine quality-of-life economy, in which preserving our environment also becomes a source of wealth, jobs, and innovation. Because developing our regions means improving the daily lives of our people. It also means opening new economic horizons for our youth," asserted the Director General of DER-FJ.

The "One ASC, One Project" project announced to benefit sport

In the context of the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games (YOG), Dr. Abdoulaye Niane announced a DER/FJ initiative to encourage youth entrepreneurship through the "One Sports Association, One Project" project. His aim is to provide entrepreneurial opportunities to young people already involved in sports, ultimately making sport a true driver of development.

"The living environment sector has significant potential."

Improving the living environment is a major challenge for territorial development today. It is not limited to beautifying our cities or developing our public spaces. It directly contributes to the quality of life of our populations, the attractiveness of our regions, the preservation of our environment, and the transformation of our urban spaces.

It is in this perspective that the Ministry of the Environment and Ecological Transition, through the Directorate General for Living Environment, launched the Living Environment, Green Spaces and Urban Furniture Programme, known as PROCAVEM.

According to the Director General of the Living Environment, this program aims to contribute to the sustainable transformation of our territories, particularly through the enhancement of public spaces, the development of green spaces and the implementation of facilities that promote the well-being of the population.

Bouna Seck argues that the living environment sector presents "significant potential for job creation, particularly through landscaping, green space maintenance, cleaning, waste management, clearing and enhancing public spaces. These represent numerous opportunities to develop green jobs, promote self-employment and support the emergence of small and medium-sized enterprises led by young people and women."

In this regard, the Director General of the Living Environment believes that the DER-FJ, through its support, financing and technical and managerial capacity building mechanisms, is a key partner in supporting the economic initiatives of young people and women.