Validation workshop underscores employment impacts of RN4 road rehabilitation in Senegal

ZIGUINCHOR, Senegal (ILO News) – on 2 September 2025, a validation workshop on the employment impact assessment (EmpIA) of the RN4 road rehabilitation project in Casamance, Senegal brought together 35 key stakeholders from government, local authorities, private sector, youth and women’s organizations, academia, civil society, the media.

The study revealed that the project generated an estimated 8,877 jobs, including 1,660 direct and 7,217 indirect or induced jobs. Participation of women stood at 8.8 per cent, mostly in lower-skilled positions. Youth aged 15–24 accounted for 20.7 per cent of workers, below the national average of 25.8 per cent, while youth aged 15–35 represented 45.5 per cent, above the national average. However, the assessment also identified challenges, including limited access to formal training, long working hours averaging 65 per week, low wages, and limited social protection coverage, with 30.8 per cent of workers lacking formal contracts.

Recommendations from the workshop emphasized the need to systematically evaluate employment impacts before and after investment projects, strengthen vocational training, expand social protection, and improve coordination between local authorities, enterprises, and communities.

Closing the event, the Deputy Governor of Ziguinchor commended the quality of discussions and reaffirmed the authorities’ commitment to translating the recommendations into concrete actions to maximize social and economic benefits from future infrastructure projects.

© Paul Sagna/ILO

© Paul Sagna/ILO