Senegal: 200 Women Entrepreneurs Celebrate the First Graduation of the “Femmes d’Avenir” Program with Eramet and WIA Philanthropy

Thiès, May 31, 2024 – Eramet and Women In Africa (WIA) celebrated with 200 women entrepreneurs from the “Femmes d’Avenir” program the completion of their first year of training. Launched in October 2023, this program, anchored in the “Eramet Beyond” initiative developed by the mining group, aims to promote women’s entrepreneurship in Senegal and diversify the economy.

The closing ceremony brought together representatives of Eramet, Grande Côte Opérations (GCO), the group’s subsidiary in Senegal, WIA, and local partners. 200 entrepreneurs from the program’s first class received their certificate of participation.

208 HOURS OF TRAINING. These professionals completed the intensive sessions of the “Start-ups” course, supported by the program partners Partaliane, Sekoya, and Sew, thus benefiting from 208 hours of training on essential cross-functional skills for the development of their businesses. In addition to the “Start-ups” course, the “Confirmed Entrepreneurs” component offered personalized support by experts from the WIA network to women with high entrepreneurial potential.

995 ENTREPRENEURS IN THREE YEARS. “Femmes d’Avenir” is a key program of the “Eramet Beyond” initiative aimed at supporting 995 entrepreneurs in Gabon and Senegal over a three-year period. This year, the program has enabled the training of 109 women entrepreneurs in Gabon so far and 205 women in Senegal through two courses adapted to the different stages of development of their businesses.

6,000 JOBS AND 500 SCHOOL SCHOLARSHIPS WITH “ERAMET BEYOND”. This Eramet initiative aims to break down barriers in the education and economic development sectors through initiatives carried out by the group’s subsidiaries on the African continent: Comilog, Setrag, and the Lékédi Biodiversity Foundation in Gabon, and GCO in Senegal.

Committed to supporting 6,000 jobs outside of the mine’s value chain and awarding 500 school scholarships by 2026, Eramet has already initiated 10 projects in 2024, including “Femmes d’Avenir”, particularly by promoting women’s empowerment and support for young people.

Seynabou Thiam, WIA’s program director in Senegal, stressed: “Our sessions are designed to energize, remotivate, and provide new perspectives, which are crucial to building the confidence of these entrepreneurs. We aspire for them to succeed in their businesses and become sources of inspiration for other women.”

Marie-Axelle Gautier, Eramet’s Director of Social Impact and Human Rights: “We are continuing our efforts to enable women to have better access to entrepreneurship by providing specific training.”

PRESS CONTACT
ERAMET
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Fanny Mounier
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Grande Côte Operations
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Awa Ly
+221 76 552 40 64
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WIA
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Silvia Mbouem Mbeck
silvia@wia-initiative.com