Senegal’s “Xëyu Ndaw Ñi” program creates jobs and boosts local economies
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The Autonomous Road Maintenance Fund (FERA) in Senegal evaluated its “Xëyu Ndaw Ñi” program and found it created over 25,000 jobs and injected 15.67 billion FCFA directly into local economies as of July 2024.
Launched in 2021 to address unemployment, the program funded road maintenance projects using a labor-intensive approach, giving local governments direct control over funding through agreements. An independent evaluation conducted by MKD Vision Holding across 500 communes showed the program had a strong socio-economic impact.
The evaluation involved surveying 4,700 young people who benefitted, along with users of the roads and local officials. Results indicated that 96.3% of participants reported improved income and 95.2% of people using the roads experienced easier access to schools, markets, and healthcare facilities. The program also prioritized gender inclusion, with women making up 52.3% of those employed. However, the evaluation identified some challenges.
The program largely benefitted older workers, over 35 years old accounted for 56.9% of participants, rather than the young people it intended to help. Some roads also showed signs of deterioration that needed preventative maintenance. To address these issues, FERA plans to revise its agreements with local governments, establish youth employment guidelines, create local road maintenance teams, and fully digitize its monitoring and evaluation processes by 2030.
