With 22 million young people joining the workforce every year, Africa needs to create many more jobs. Digital technologies are a major asset in getting younger professionals more work opportunities.
That’s why the NTF V Senegal Tech project organized practical training courses for students at the Cheikh Hamidou Kane Digital University. Focusing on digital freelancing and pitching, these sessions showed students how to better seize digital opportunities and drive their own professional development.
Digital entrepreneurship appeals to Senegalese youth
Initially planned for around 50 students, nearly double that number attended the three training sessions from the International Trade Centre (ITC) project. For Mayoro Cissé, head of the Development and Cooperation Department at the Cheikh Hamidou Kane Digital University, this enthusiasm shows that students are both interested and ready to become entrepreneurs.
‘Our public digital university delivers online training courses throughout Senegal. This gives our 75,000 students a flexible learning model, giving them easy access to knowledge and time to create and undertake,’ Cissé said.
‘Many of our students are used to working from home and independently. As a result, they naturally aspire to become freelancers, in order to gain financial independence and develop skills that are highly sought-after on the job market,’ Cissé added. ‘Although bursting with ideas and initiatives, our young people lack support. Working with partners such as the NTF V project is therefore highly relevant to maximize our students’ chances of succeeding in self-employment.’
From 15 to 17 January, the students took training courses on freelancing, covering everything from the realities of the business to pitch techniques for attracting investors. The sessions took place successively in Sebikotane, Mbour and Saint-Louis, reaching students far from the capital.
‘If we want to turn our young people into job creators rather than job seekers, then it’s important not to confine ourselves to Dakar. It’s in our university’s interest to surround itself with partners like NTF V, to support the emergence of a new generation of digital entrepreneurs throughout the country.’
Reaching for the future with digital freelancing
Seydou Nourou Tall studies law, and is president of the university’s Job Placement and Entrepreneurship Club. This 24-year-old is passionate about digital marketing and innovation. He has set up his own cleaning business and is about to recruit his first employee.
Always on the lookout for techniques and advice, Seydou likes to surround himself with mentors, and never misses an opportunity to attend a new master class. On 17 January in Saint-Louis, he took the NTF V course on digital freelancing.
‘Senegal’s economy cannot offer salaried employment to all new graduates. So I see self-employment as an ideal to strive for,’ he said. ‘Freelancing helps me to develop my professional network and structure my project. It’s a first step towards independence.’
At the end of the course, Seydou set about optimizing his online business.
‘The course introduced me to an online services marketplace that puts freelancers in touch with customers. Since posting my profile, I’ve gained in visibility and landed a few administrative assistance assignments,’ he said.
As for the students in the pitching workshop, more than half said they had improved their skills in developing business strategies and models. The university welcomes such fruitful partnerships.
‘In February, we hosted a new NTF V project intervention on digital freelancing skills and the Saas B2B model. In the future, we hope to renew these initiatives and extend access to as many of our students as possible, thanks to videoconferencing,’ Cissé said.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of International Trade Centre.