CommunicationPublished on 29 August 2025

Harnessing the potential of young people on the move in West and North Africa

In response to the growing mobility of young people in West and North Africa, a project run by the SDC focuses on their protection, training and integration. Mamadou, Byba and Rabi, beneficiaries of this Swiss-supported programme, talk about how this support has transformed their lives.

Two young women in dark blue overalls and headscarves walk along a brick wall. Beside them is a woman wearing a yellow jacket and a white headscarf. — Guinea: Young women trained in masonry testify to the success of the EJM project, supported by SDC, in promoting professional integration. — © EJM

Young people in West and North Africa are highly mobile within the region. This is due not only to poverty, conflict and the effects of climate change, but also to the search for economic opportunities. This is not a new phenomenon – it is part of the region's history. For a long time, these movements have favoured a better distribution of income, the creation of new job opportunities and the opening up of new markets. Mobility is a source of wealth for people, encouraging economic, social and cultural exchanges.

However, migratory routes are fraught with risks such as abuse, exploitation and violence, particularly sexual violence, which are common occurrences. Yet migration also offers economic, employment and training opportunities for young people, enabling them to contribute to sustainable development in their countries of origin, transit and destination.

Faced with these realities, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) is supporting the ‘Children and youth on the move’ (EJM) project, which operates in five countries in the region – Guinea, Mali, Niger, Morocco and Tunisia – and aims to protect, educate, train and integrate young people on the move, by offering them real prospects and helping them to achieve their ambitions. Safer migration, offering opportunities for training, employment and integration, is a lever for local development, while reinforcing regional security and stability – positive dynamics from which European countries such as Switzerland also benefit.

The stories that follow illustrate the diversity of people's experiences and the need for long-term solutions tailored to local circumstances. In addition to individual support, the programme involves working with local NGOs and government departments to encourage the adoption of policies and laws in the countries concerned that recognise the needs and rights of young people on the move.

Some facts and figures

Between 2022 and 2024

more than 21,000 children and young people on the move were given access to appropriate protection, education and integration services
more than 40,000 were made aware of the challenges of migration: services available, opportunities and risks in departure, transit, destination and reintegration zones
nearly 1,000 actors (government, NGOs) improved their capacity to provide better support for these young people
nearly 650 children and young people on the move were consulted, and their opinions and aspirations were taken into account in the development of strategies, action plans and legislation

Two attempts to leave, two returns. It was finally back home that Mamadou became a glazier, training young people and dreaming of opening training centres.
Mamadou, aged 27, is very familiar with the problems relating to migration routes. A native of Guinea, he made two attempts to reach Europe, both of which resulted in his return. It was in Guinea that he eventually found his way, thanks to a support programme for the socio-economic integration of young people implemented by Terre des hommes, a partner in the EJM project, and the Belgian cooperation agency.
After nine months' training, Mamadou qualified as a glazier. He bought a workshop with the help of his father and the EJM project, which supported him as part of its vocational integration programme. He was able to acquire the skills he needed to manage the business, with an emphasis on accounting and business management. Today, he has his own workshop, works with a master glazier and supervises seven young people. In this way he is able to share his expertise: “It's my way of putting something back into the community,” he says proudly.
He feels accepted in his community as a returnee: “They respect me because I play an active role in the economy and society.” He raises young people's awareness by recounting his journey which got him as far as Algeria: “Down here, if you do everything you can, you'll be fine. There's nothing for you up there.” He talks about the after-effects of these journeys: a friend, who has also returned, suffers from psychological problems and alcohol dependency and is seen by his community as a disruptive force. Mamadou dreams of opening more training centres in Labé, a town in Guinea that intersects with various migratory routes, and training new glaziers there.
A refugee, Byba trained as a hairdresser and beautician thanks to the EJM project. Today, she provides for her family by doing make-up for weddings in Yorosso.
Byba, 20, fled with her mother from her native village in Burkina Faso to Yorosso in Mali. From there, she was sent to work as a domestic in Koutiala, in order to have enough for her bridal trousseau. But a disagreement with her boss left her homeless. It was there that she was spotted by the Koutiala social development department.
After weighing up her needs, Byba expressed a desire to train in hairdressing and beauty. The 45-day training course culminated in her being issued with a start-up kit to launch her business. “Before this training, nobody really knew how to tie scarves or do make-up properly. Thanks to the EJM project, we all know how to do it now. What we thought were buns weren't really, and it was only during the training that we discovered how to tie our hair up into a proper bun.”
Byba has now returned to her mother's home in Yorosso, where there is a high demand for make-up for weddings. As part of the EJM project, an assessment has been done on her situation. Today, Byba earns an average of XOF 125,000 a month – about EUR 200. She does the make-up for a dozen or so women and girls each month, at a cost of between XOF 7,500 and 10,000 per person. The income she earns covers her needs and those of her mother. “The money spent on our training has been well invested, because our lives have really changed.”
Displaced with her family, she sold galettes with her mother. Today, she is studying geography at university.
Rabi, a 20-year-old girl from Niger, fled the growing insecurity in her village along with her parents. The family found refuge in Niamey, where relatives took them in. Thanks to the income from her mother's sale of galettes, the family was able to find somewhere to live. Helping her mother with her business, Rabi was spotted by the Niamey protection service. She expressed the wish to return to her studies.
Thanks to financial support from the EJM project, Rabi was able to pick up her education again. Her high school tuition fees were paid, as were the registration fees for the baccalaureate exam. She also received the necessary school supplies – books, exercise books, pens, geometry set – as well as a school uniform and sports kit. She was supported throughout by social workers from the protection service.
Her excellent results propelled her to the top of her class and she continued to progress thanks to the encouragement of her teachers. “The EJM project gave me a lot of support by covering my enrolment fees. Without that help, I wouldn't have been able to go back to school. The EJM also provided me with all the supplies I needed, right down to my school uniform.” Today, Rabi has taken another step forward: she has begun studying geography at the University of Niamey.
Mamadou didn't attend school and was sleeping rough. Spotted by a mobile team from the EJM project, he is now a public transport driver.
The eldest of seven siblings, Mamadou, 20, grew up in extreme poverty. He never went to school. In search of work to help support his family, he left home and lived with other young people on the move on the ‘Tour d'Afrique’ site, where he was exposed to drugs. He then started working as an apprentice for the local public transport company Sotrama. He was driving without a licence.
It was at the ‘Tour d'Afrique’ site that the Samu social mobile team, a partner in the EJM project, spotted him and decided to help him fulfil his ambition. Mamadou received psychosocial support, medical care and a month's training in driving. After obtaining his driving licence, he became more stable and financially independent. He then decided to take the public transport licence, which opened up new opportunities.
Today, Mamadou has a stable job as a driver for the Sotrama company, earning XOF 50,000 a month (about EUR 100). He has a decent home, supports himself and his family back in Ségou. Mamadou aspires to become a self-employed driver. “I thank Samu Social Mali and call on their partners to continue helping other vulnerable young people.”