The people of Guinea-Bissau base their economy mainly on farming and on agricultural production of rice. Considered a country with high productive potential for the richness of natural resources, it is actually the poorest in Western Africa.

The main causes are the isolation of the area, due to the almost total absence of asphalted roads, and the fragility of the agricultural sector, due to the lack of productive factors (seeds, fertilizers, and tools), inadequate technology, low technical skills and improper storage, which leads to almost 5% of crop losses.

The Gabù region has high levels of food insecurity, low school attendance, a subsistence farming economy and an employment rate for young people aged 15-35 around 30%.

The project, cofunded by AICS, aims to improve the population’s living conditions of the regions of Sedhiou and Kolda (Senegal) and Gabù (Guinea-Bissau), with particular attention to young people. The three regional contexts are junctions of an informal region of cultural, social and economic interaction: seasonal/circular migration is a structural factor. The overall project involves an intervention in Senegal and Guinea-Bissau, through a structured partnership that sees Acra and local Senegalese partners working in the regions of Sedhiou and Kolda, while Mani Tese and PONGAB will be active in the Gabù region in Guinea-Bissau.

The activities for which Mani Tese will be responsible are:

1. Information campaign: through radio and information material, we will spread information about the project, with a phase of interest gathering by young people to guide the choice of the best professional training path.
2. Courses of basic, advanced computer literacy and digital production for young people: Mani Tese will be responsible for the restructuring of Gabù’s multifunctional Youth Centre, the only youth gathering space in the city. Computer courses will be organized, and at the same time this space will serve as a place of youth aggregation through the provision of an internet connection, as a space for organizing meetings, video projections and dissemination of material on issues related to work and training opportunities in Guinea, as well as on the risks of irregular migration.
3. Training in financial education and business plan building: Mani Tese will support training courses for self-enterprise able to promote employment opportunities for young people.
4. Support for youth micro-enterprises and tutoring: Following the financial education courses, a public call will be launched to select the best proposals to be funded by sub-grants for youth micro-enterprises in the agro-food sector and new technologies.
5. Business structuring for returning migrants: we will organize business courses for returning migrants and guide the launch of start-ups or reinforce existing businesses.
6. Workshop about web/radio journalism: web and social networks are the main means of communication and information for young people and it is becoming increasingly necessary for youth associations to be able to use these tools critically.
7. Awareness raising campaign and itinerant migration film festival: a social communication campaign will be organised to inform about the risks of irregular migration and to inform about the regular channels for migration. We plan to organize information meetings and theatre forums, as well as videos and films about the theme of migration.