WAEMU
Addressing the challenge of employment is a driver for the socio-economic development of the WAEMU region. Our strategy aims to address this challenge by driving transformation in the agriculture value chain through an innovative approach.
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Goal
To enable 6.2 million young people in the WAEMU region—70 percent of whom are young women—to access dignified and fulfilling work by 2030. Our roadmap aims to bring about a shift in perceptions, resources, relationships, practices, and policies for the development of sustainable and resilient agrifood systems.
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Context
Agriculture, as the primary source of employment in the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) region, constitutes a powerful development driver, with small-scale farmers at its core. The WAEMU region consists of Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal, and Togo.
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Approach
The Farm to Fork strategy is based on the knowledge and data that inclusive food systems can only be designed from the bottom up to address the actual needs of populations. Through this approach, we are meeting the market demand for locally produced and processed food products and catalyzing the emergence of agro-industry champions at a national and regional level that will drive the sustainable transformation of agriculture in the sub-region.
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Priority
Agribusiness and adjacent sectors, agro-processing, market access, and primary production.
Our WAEMU Quarterly Newsletter
English version
Read the Mastercard Foundation’s Quarterly Newsletter for the WAEMU Region – January to March 2025
Read more
Version française
Lire le bulletin d’informations trimestriel de la Fondation Mastercard pour la région UEMOA – Janvier à Mars 2025
En savoir plusEmpowering Mothers: Sala Sow's Inspiring Story
Sala Sow: Saving Mothers, Changing Futures in Senegal
Sala Sow has made it her life’s mission to save mothers in underserved communities. In this video, she takes us through her journey from becoming the first student in her village to earn a high school diploma in science while pregnant to becoming a Mastercard Foundation Scholar studying medicine at Gaston Berger University in Senegal. Driven by both purpose and personal experience, Sala is determined to break down barriers and prove that motherhood isn’t a limitation, but her driving force.
Learn more about our work in WAEMU
Armande Lo Encourages the Next Generation of Agripreneurs
WAEMU
Enabling Young Entrepreneurs in Senegal
WAEMU
Local Milk, an Engine for Employment and Success for Women in Senegal
WAEMU
Programs in WAEMU
The Foundation’s WAEMU office is located in Dakar, Senegal, and currently supports almost 20 active partnerships in the region. Focus sectors for Young Africa Works in WAEMU include agrifood systems, entrepreneurship, and the digital economy.
Research from WAEMU
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An Empirical Review of Youth Employment Policies in Senegal
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Disability-Inclusive Education and Employment: Understanding the Experiences of Young Men and Women with Disabilities - SENEGAL
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A Review of Youth Employment Policies and Their Impact in Senegal
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Disability-Inclusive Education and Employment: Understanding the Context – SENEGAL
Disability Inclusion WAEMU
Latest from WAEMU
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Mastercard Foundation President and CEO, Reeta Roy, Announces Decision to Transition from the Foundation
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WAEMU EdTech Conference 2024 Gathers 150 EdTech Stakeholders in Dakar to Discuss Scaling Start-ups for Success and Transforming Education
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World Data Lab and the Mastercard Foundation Announce Launch of the Africa Youth Employment Clock
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Angélique Kidjo’s Batonga Foundation Expands its Programs to Senegal to Reach More Adolescent Girls and Young Women
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Giving Citizens Digital Access to Their Health Data is a First Step toward Enabling Person-Centered Health
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Mastercard Foundation to Enable Three Million Youth to Access Employment Opportunities in Senegal
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Underwriting Foundational Infrastructure Through Creative Use Of EdTech Resources
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The Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program Accelerates Impact With Three New Partnerships In Africa
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Investing in Government Data Systems to Drive Decision Making
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Evaluating Progress Made in Africa’s EdTech
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2025 Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship Applications
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Etudesk Unveils a Study Dedicated to the EdTech Ecosystem in the WAEMU Region
