Vocational training and employment: Concerns about the persistent difficulties faced by people with disabilities

The crucial issue of including people with disabilities in the economic fabric was at the heart of discussions during the Regional Development Committee (CRD) meeting in Thiès. This meeting, dedicated to the official launch of the Project to Support the Reform of Vocational Training in Senegal (ReFoP 2), shed light on the persistent obstacles hindering access to qualifications and employment for people with disabilities.

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Presiding over the meeting, Ababacar Sadikh Niang, Deputy Governor of the Thiès region, highlighted a striking contrast: despite Senegal's legislative and social progress in terms of equality, real access to training centers and job opportunities remains limited for this segment of the population. This precarious situation hits young people particularly hard and is exacerbated when disability is compounded by other vulnerabilities, such as gender or age.

200 young people targeted between Dakar and Thiès

To reverse this trend, the ReFoP 2 project offers a concrete alternative. The initiative directly targets 200 young people with disabilities, aged 15 to 35 , located in the Dakar and Thiès regions. Through tailored support, an adapted environment, and modernized training programs, the program aims to significantly enhance their employability, enabling them to actively contribute to wealth creation.

The Thiès region has been chosen as a major strategic lever for deploying this dynamic. With its diversified economic fabric and its network of technical training institutions, the region possesses valuable assets for integrating this workforce that is too often overlooked.

“The same opportunities for access to qualifications and employment”

Advocating for a truly inclusive territorial development policy, the administrative authority stressed the need to guarantee equal opportunities for every citizen, regardless of their background.

Following the presentation of the objectives and support mechanisms for training centers, Ababacar Sadikh Niang made a passionate appeal to state technical services, local authorities, and training stakeholders to join forces. The stated ambition is clear: to ensure that disability definitively ceases to be an obstacle to the professional development of Senegalese youth.