📋 Tender Overview
Amid a security crisis and political transition, Niger's economy remains informal and undiversified, with a largely underemployed population. Through this program, the SDC continues to support the private sector through entrepreneurship in promising agricultural value chains to create decent jobs and incomes for women and young people and help reduce poverty.
Country/region Topic Period Budget
Niger
Agriculture & food security
Inclusive economic Development
Agricultural services & market
Employment creation
Rural development
01.07.2025 - 30.06.2029
CHF 6,870,000
The project in brief
Background Niger's political and institutional context is marked by the deterioration of security and the economic and monetary sanctions imposed by ECOWAS and WAEMU following the coup d'état of July 26, 2023. This has further weakened the national economic fabric, further impacting already fragile businesses. The lifting of these sanctions in February 2024 has allowed for some recovery and given new impetus to local businesses. The agricultural and rural micro and small enterprise sector constitutes an essential component of the economy and employment. Risks for modern businesses also exist due to climatic hazards, competition from the informal sector, eligibility criteria for financing, and inadequate resources for investments. The sector is dominated by informal and underperforming agricultural businesses. Furthermore, agricultural market systems in Niger operate in a relatively uncompetitive environment, with a multiplicity of actors and weak organization/structuring within agricultural value chains. Financial and non-financial services for agricultural entrepreneurship are poorly decentralized, inaccessible, and not tailored to the specific needs of young people and women. The Local Entrepreneurship Promotion Program (PROMEL) will support the development of agricultural entrepreneurship around promising sectors and access to financing for agricultural businesses by adopting an innovative and inclusive approach for small producers, based on the development of market systems organized in geographical spaces bringing together critical masses of interconnected actors called business clusters (BC).
Objectives Promote local entrepreneurship in promising agricultural value chains, generate decent jobs and incomes for young people and women while contributing to the food and nutritional security of households in the Dosso and Maradi regions.
Target groups
Family farms, particularly those run by women and young people
Peasant organizations, cooperative societies and agricultural enterprises
Traders and intermediaries in target value chains
Medium-term outcomes
Women and young people gain access to employment opportunities and decent incomes and improve their economic performance.
At the local level, the financial and business environment is improving to the benefit of promising agricultural value chains, agricultural businesses, women and young peo
