The PEM WECCO project, implemented by Belgian Development Agency (ENABEL) in collaboration with the Belgian Immigration Office (Office des Etrangers) has officially concluded activities after a two-day closing event in Dakar, Senegal on 10-11 September 2024.
Main results from PEM WECCO
Between autumn 2021 and spring 2024, PEW WECCO supported entrepreneurial ecosystems in Senegal and Belgium by fostering partnerships that benefited businesses in both countries.
Through the project, 47 entrepreneurs of small and medium-sized Senegalese businesses were able to travel to Belgium, make contacts with Belgian economic actors and shape new entrepreneurial networks to develop joint business ventures.
The variety of participating companies and start-ups in the agriculture, technology, education and biomedical sectors enrich both economies with new perspectives and opportunities. After an initial stage of introductions and “match-making” between entrepreneurs, sustainable foundations were established with 29 signed partnerships and a further 60 under negotiation. Of these, 79% of the partnerships will around commercial import/export 10% joint ventures, and 11% will involve new products or services created such as coaching or training.
Although there is a strong prevalence of partnerships in the agroeconomic sector, the partnerships created through this project wade across different industries between Belgium and Senegal: from agreements to provide technical solutions for early cancer screening in rural health clinics, to training for comic book writers, or opening transport corridors.
Speaking at the closing event, Perrine Fontenas, Project Officer, ICMPD and in charge of following this grant, said, “In this project, the component of mobility was designed to facilitate the internationalisation of small businesses. Thanks to the on-site visits, Senegalese and Belgian entrepreneurs were able to meet, exchange and mutually grow, setting forth new channels for their businesses to thrive.”
Mobility schemes and MPF labour portfolio
PEM WECCO is just one of the many projects that MPF supports through its grant-making component. Currently, there are 11 active projects under the thematic portfolio Legal Migration and Mobility that share many common features.
These projects combine mobility activities with in-depth analysis of labour market needs in EU MS and countries of origin, with capacity-building and stakeholder involvement, and with support for participants upon return to their countries of origin or integration in the destination country.
The mobility component of these projects offers concrete possibilities to migrate permanently or temporarily to Europe for work and/or training and is increasingly accompanied by activities that seek to align education and training standards to pave the way for potential future labour migration with greater mutual benefits.
These initiatives aim to create sustainable and reliable cooperation structures and operate on multiple levels, including national and subnational actors who lead efforts to attract international talent and promote skills and mobility partnerships.
They cater to the private sector by responding to the real needs of businesses in both countries of origin and destination, while at the same time providing benefits to migrant workers through remittances and intercultural and on-the-job mentoring for the beneficiaries involved.
Further reading
You can access the full portfolio of legal and labour mobility projects funded by the EU though the MPF or read about PEM WECCO in more detail.
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The PEM WECCO project is funded by the European Union and contracted by the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) through the Migration Partnership Facility (MPF) and implemented by the Belgian Development Agency (ENABEL) in collaboration with the Belgian Immigration Office (Office des Etrangers).