Senegal’s General Delegation for Rapid Entrepreneurship of Women and Youth (DER/FJ) has injected more than 203 billion CFA francs (US$318 million) into the national economy since its launch in 2018, supporting hundreds of thousands of entrepreneurial initiatives, the agency said on Wednesday.
Speaking at a press briefing, DER/FJ officials highlighted that the funds have enabled 301,956 entrepreneurial projects, distributed through more than 666,000 loans, covering micro-businesses and high-growth companies. The initiative aims to foster financial inclusion, job creation, and regional economic development across the country.
The institution plans to intensify its support. Between June 2024 and December 2025, it set aside an additional 38.56 billion CFA francs ($60 million) to finance over 48,000 new projects, with women remaining a key focus—accounting for 81% of beneficiaries, underscoring their central role in wealth creation and household resilience.
Sectoral priorities reflect Senegal’s strategic development goals. The services sector leads in the number of entrepreneurs supported, with 33,187 beneficiaries receiving 17.03 billion CFA francs ($27 million), reflecting its role in driving urban and peri-urban economic activity.
Agriculture, critical for food security and rural employment, received 7.79 billion CFA francs ($12 million), or 40% of sectoral financing, supporting modernization of agricultural value chains. Additional investments in livestock, fisheries, and handicrafts exceed 10 billion CFA francs ($16 million), promoting economic diversification and local skills development.
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To tackle regional disparities, DER/FJ has pursued a decentralized approach, opening departmental branches in areas such as Linguère and Kolda to bring financing closer to rural populations.
Innovation and technology are also a priority. Through the LIONSTECH program, the agency has funded over 500 startups, including 50 in acceleration programs in partnership with Deloitte and Inco. Some startups received investment tickets up to 1.3 billion CFA francs ($2 million), positioning Senegal as a regional technology hub. Complementary hubs, FabLabs, and creative spaces provide access to prototyping, virtual reality, and collaborative innovation tools, helping young entrepreneurs develop solutions tailored to local needs.
The BE YES program, financed with $10 million (about 6 billion CFA francs), has created 10,861 jobs in two years, 72% held by women, providing a tangible response to youth unemployment.
The Senegalese diaspora has also been engaged through the Diaspora Fund, which allocated 1 billion CFA francs ($1.6 million) for 84 projects in 2024-2025, compared with 667 million CFA francs ($1 million) for 58 projects between 2022 and 2023. The initiative aims to channel the savings and expertise of Senegalese abroad into domestic productive investments.
Beyond funding, DER/FJ emphasizes entrepreneurial training, reaching over 9,250 beneficiaries with courses in management, financial structuring, and business administration. With a 133% achievement rate on awareness-raising objectives, the agency positions itself as both financier and coach for Senegalese entrepreneurs.
“The DER/FJ is not just a funding agency; it is a key engine of socio-economic transformation, particularly for women and young people, across all regions of Senegal,” officials said.
Since 2018, the DER/FJ has become a pillar of Senegal’s economic strategy, blending finance, training, and innovation to foster inclusive growth, strengthen the country’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, and promote equitable regional development.
