Senegal cabinet meeting highlights: human rights and youth employment drive

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Lagos, Nigeria – President Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar Faye chaired the weekly cabinet meeting on December 11, 2024, highlighting significant strides in human rights with the establishment of the National Human Rights Commission.

AfricaHeadline, reports team
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on September 18, 2024, under Law No. 2024-14, the commission will be operational by January 31, 2025, with a five-year strategic development plan supported by increased budget allocations. The initiative aims to elevate Senegal’s ranking in global human rights indices and mandates human rights education in schools and universities nationwide.

On youth employment, the President tackled Senegal’s high youth unemployment rate, currently estimated at 21.5%, directing the evaluation of over eight national programmes, including ANPEJ, DER/FJ, and Xeyu Ndaw Ni.

A new comprehensive employment strategy will focus on job creation, regional training alignment, and operationalising vocational centres to support the 15% of young people who leave school prematurely.

These efforts include establishing eight regional development hubs and diversifying technical training to address labour market needs.

The meeting also addressed a teacher deficit affecting over 10,000 classrooms. A three-year recruitment plan aims to hire 15,000 educators by 2027, with an immediate infrastructure upgrade programme involving the military’s engineering corps.

On the international front, the President underlined strengthened partnerships with Abu Dhabi, Qatar, and Mauritania, leveraging these collaborations to enhance youth employability and educational opportunities in Senegal and the region.