Ecological transition: AFAD launches a project for localized green jobs for the Youth Olympic Games in the Medina

Just hours before the start of the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) on October 31st, the Medina district isn't simply waiting passively for the athletes. Around the Iba Mar Diop Stadium, a key area expected to draw thousands of visitors, the NGO AFAD (Association for Training and Development Support) concluded three days of intensive training on Friday, October 30th. The goal is to equip 60 young community organizers with the skills needed to ensure optimal waste management, with the firm ambition of transforming this civic mission into a genuine, income-generating profession. The group includes 30 members of the Medina Youth Advisory Council (CCJM) and 30 volunteers from the Senegalese Red Cross and the Scouts, guaranteeing comprehensive coverage of the district.

As the NGO's executive director, Idrissa Ndiaye, points out: "A gathering of guests inevitably means waste production. We will be facing a very significant flow. Hence the urgent need to equip the youth of Medina so that they have all the tools for optimal management of their living environment during the Youth Olympic Games."

But the Olympic Games serve only as a catalyst. A fantastic pretext for AFAD, whose ultimate ambition lies in the long-term sustainability of the legacy. The Medina is thus established as a pilot project, a veritable urban laboratory intended to be replicated nationwide. According to Rito Lopez Diaz, in charge of environmental issues and designer of the ecological and energy transition program for neighborhoods and villages, "the core idea is to anchor the ecological transition at the heart of our territories. We chose to seize the opportunity of the Youth Olympic Games to drive this new paradigm of localized green jobs and professions." This framework rests on five major and interdependent pillars: local waste management, environmental education, the preservation of biodiversity and the living environment, the structuring of a sustainable local food system, and the development of urban agriculture.

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This vision leads to an ambitious projection: the potential creation of one million green jobs.

The expert presents a catalog of existing but often overlooked activities that should be promoted to ensure project viability. In the same vein, Mr. Ndiaye observes that, faced with the saturation of traditional sectors, green growth offers a wealth of untapped opportunities. "This directory of green jobs, representing a potential of one million positions, must be widely disseminated to combat youth unemployment. As soon as the facilitator sees a tangible return on investment, they gain autonomy without relying on external support," he explains.

On the ground, the momentum is already bearing fruit. The president of the CCJM, Ndèye Astou Ndiaye, now refuses to consider unsanitary conditions as inevitable: “We have understood that waste represents added value. Uncontrolled development and the accumulation of garbage are certainly scourges, but they also represent numerous opportunities for green jobs. The method is clear: go door-to-door to raise awareness among households about sorting waste at the source.” Pape Sall, representing the neighborhood delegate, shares this enthusiasm: “These young people are being trained today to become, tomorrow, the liaisons and trainers for their peers in all sub-sectors.”

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The operational phase begins this Saturday, October 31, coinciding with the start of the competitions, with the launch of outreach and awareness campaigns throughout the Medina. "The Medina will remain a permanent laboratory," reaffirms Idrissa Ndiaye. For Mr. Lopez Diaz, the objective is clear: "The legacy is to inject concrete content into our country's localized green economy." A challenge that, if met, promises to keep the Medina clean during the fifteen days of festivities while offering an entire generation the keys to sustainable professional integration.