Perilous departures towards Europe are rising again. In response, the Senegalese government, the IOM and the Kingdom of the Netherlands launched a major initiative this April. It pairs stronger awareness work with real routes into work and training, and it aims to turn migration from a risk people endure into a choice they make freely. The project will support 5,000 people directly.
Response to migration emergency
The figures leave little doubt. Between January and September 2025, Senegalese authorities intercepted more than 3,500 migrants. Behind those numbers lies a social distress that pushes thousands of young people to risk the ocean or the desert. To meet this emergency, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and the Directorate of Senegalese Abroad (DSE) signed a new partnership at a ceremony on 13 April.
Elhadj Abdoul Karim Cissé, Director of Senegalese Abroad, welcomed the timing. “The signing of this agreement comes at the right moment. It will strengthen the national mechanisms we already have and help guide young people towards real opportunities in employment, training and entrepreneurship.”
Beyond words, ground-level solutions
What sets this initiative apart is its double aim. It no longer only warns of the dangers; it also builds lasting alternatives. The rollout rests on several strands: travelling awareness campaigns, a strong digital push and hard-hitting audiovisual content. A mobile careers caravan will also tour the country and help young people reach support schemes that already exist.
The project puts equal weight on skills. It offers training in how to design a project and runs dedicated job forums. Aissata Kane, IOM Chief of Mission for Senegal, stresses the value of this rounded approach. “Information saves lives. We must never lose sight of that, and it remains an essential investment. But this project is promising because it goes further. By pairing awareness with concrete alternatives, it reflects the IOM’s approach to real and lasting change in young people’s choices.”
International coalition for lasting impact
The project builds on what has worked before, such as the Migrants as Messengers and CinemArena programmes, and it sets up a new kind of coordination between the public sector, civil society and the private sector. The WakaWell digital platform, in particular, will supply reliable data to guide those weighing up their options. The Kingdom of the Netherlands co-finances this joint effort through the AMIF-CBR Fund, alongside the European Union.
Rob Van Bokhoven, of the Kingdom of the Netherlands’ Ministry of Justice and Security, stressed the need to work together. “This initiative reflects our shared commitment to safe, orderly and regular migration. We must send young people positive messages and strengthen coordination between everyone involved, so that we achieve concrete and lasting results.”
By supporting 5,000 people, the programme hopes to give a generation its confidence back, and to show that success is possible on Senegalese soil.
