As part of “Joint Regional Program to Support the Implementation of Cross-Border Cooperation Activities in the Liptako-Gourma Region” funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), UNESCO trained young people and women Liptako -Gourma in the development of key transversal competencies through a digital platform”, among other activities. Through online training, these young people were also trained in self-management of personal problems.

On October 27, 2022, UNESCO Dakar Project Team, along with Les Amis De l'Ecole (LADE), held a one-day camp for 32 Nigeriens. These youth completed the online training on transversal competencies and then reflected on this experience in order to reinforce what they had learned.

A village life in Koira Tégui, a suburb in Niger with 35,800 habitants.

Achieving basic objectives

Insecurity makes it difficult for people to meet basic ends. Transversal skills development could change this.

Yacouba from Tillabéri believes that, with the right skills and knowledge, young people even in a dire situation can navigate the challenges.

Yacouba does not feel safe in living in Tillabéri at the moment:

I do not think the security situation is going to improve anytime soon. People used to grow crops, cultivate the fields to survive. But, with the deteriorating security situation, everything has gone. In this situation, you cannot expect a family of eight or nine to get by relying on only one or two family members doing seasonal work. Sometimes, I feel that it would be better to leave and become a refugee somewhere else.

Although Yacouba enjoys his work as a Scouts teacher, he is struggling to make ends meet. Apart from his voluntary involvement with the scouts, he looks for other activities on a daily basis to earn a little money. He continues:

If I am lucky, I make a thousand-franc CFA (equivalent to 1.50 USD) and I give it to my family. If I don’t have any earnings, I don’t go home.

Because of his family’s financial difficulties, they were forced to scatter everywhere in the country. Yacouba sometimes wonders if he will ever again meet some of his brothers who now live in Agadez.

Yacouba shares his first thoughts on an online transversal-skillsets training program offered by UNESCO. Initially, he was somewhat skeptical. He felt that, for him and other young people, financial support was the most pressing need. He explains:

However, in a place like Tillabéri, where resources are extremely scarce, sometimes you just have to take whatever is available because you never know how that opportunity leads to another. That was why I decided to take the online training program. I wanted to see where this experience would take me.

His experience with the online training reassured him of his conviction that having multiple diplomas is less important, especially when people struggle every day just to meet their ends.

Nowadays (...) if people have the right skills and knowledge, they can succeed even if they do not complete their school. The online training program was useful for those who wanted to start their own businesses but did not know how or where to do so, covering things like how to create business opportunities and communicate to improve these opportunities. Building on these skills, I hope that we can start finding ways to meet our needs.

Flexible online training

Flexible online training provides Nigerien young people with a chance to learn anytime, anywhere.

Rafiya and Youssouf attendants to the camp

Rafiya and Youssouf, who attended the camp, were excited to share their experiences in learning and obtaining transversal skills.

Rafiya is running a small business in her hometown in Tillabéri. As an extrovert, she always tries to find something to do, which explains her entrepreneurial sprit. Youssouf is from Say in the same region. He works as an educator at a Scout center. Both Rafiya and Youssouf believe that building new skillsets can, in the long term, help young people to explore ways to change their lives.

The situation in Say is very concerning. Just the day before yesterday, there was an attack in the gold mine site in Tamou village, which ended up killing seven people and leaving 24 injured. It is not just about this one village. Many other villages in Tillabéri are going through similar massacres.

Youssouf

Rafiya feels helpless, but contends that the government should take more serious measures to bring peace back to their community:

I regard myself as a born-to-be entrepreneur. I am someone who always looks for new information and knowledge and is eager to learn. Once you have the knowledge about something, that’s good enough to start. In that sense, the training helped me lot to come up with some business ideas. Being able to learn regardless of time and location was also a big advantage for me and other participants.

Youssouf participates in a group exercise with his friends during the camp.

When asked why he decided to join the online training program on transversal skills development, Youssouf said:

In the 21st century, things evolve quickly. Without having the skills that cut across different tasks and job roles, it is difficult for people like us to survive. This training has helped us to develop useful skills to begin something. I want my friends and family members to take the training and understand the importance of developing relevant skillsets.

Developing skills in young people

Developing skills in young people is important to enable them to grow, cope with their problems, and resist negative influences.

Aboudlaye Amadou local collaborator in Niger

Abdoulaye Amadou, Local Collaborator in Niger, remains hopeful that the future of Niger will be brighter.

Abdoulaye Amadou supports the (re)integration of children and young people who live with difficulties. He is very concerned about the rapid surge in organized crime in Niger. Life is hard for many young Nigeriens, who are vulnerable to organized crime – as potential perpetrators and victims. Some are tempted to work with terrorist groups in order to earn money and support their families because the few odd jobs that are available are generally insufficient.

Bien qu’il s’agisse d’un processus à long terme, il est essentiel de travailler avec les jeunes pour savoir ce qu’ils aiment faire et développer des compétences pertinentes. C’est la seule façon de redonner espoir.

Despite the current situation in Niger, Abdoulaye believes that, as long as there are people, opportunities, demand and jobs will exist. He has been training young people in order to identify these local opportunities. He maintains that:

A well-trained young person can create her/his own business instead of waiting to be hired by someone else. With the training provided UNESCO, our participants established a foundation of entrepreneurial and digital skills and knowledge. Before, for them, a mobile phone was just a tool to chat with their friends, but now they see it as a channel to create business opportunities. These young people can take charge of their lives if they are provided with the proper environment.

Today the situation in Niger is not ideal. However, we live in a world where we can develop competencies more easily than before, thanks to digital technology. Giving young Nigerians the skills to earn a safer living should be one of our priorities, and this can be done by focusing on providing flexible training. In that sense, I am hopeful for the future of our young generation.

A growing body of literature indicates that transversal skills are critical in anticipating long-term life outcomes, such as labor market outcomes, and social and health behaviors. Transversal competencies can help young people like Yacouba, Rafiya and Youssouf to identify personal qualities that enable them to effectively navigate their environment, emphasize well with others, set clear life goals, and achieve them. In a place like Liptako-Gourma, meaningful skills training and development is much needed as these skills can be applicable across sectors and complement the acquisition of technical and academic skills. With proper, continuous support, we hope that young Nigeriens continue to create positive outcomes across important areas of their lives and determine a set of core skills relevant to their daily lives.