By 2030 the International Labour Organization (ILO) expects there to be 283 million young people aged 15 to 25 in sub-Saharan Africa alone. The approximately 20 million youth coming into the labor market every year represent the potential for the world’s greatest workforce. At the same time, the high number of young workers also has implications on the labor market and the skills and education mismatch is one of the most pressing issues to be addressed. To stand out and attract the attention of employers, young people, especially women and girls, must be empowered as agents of change through communication, cooperation and leadership skills. The great enthusiasm for sport on the African continent offers the opportunity to engage young people in innovative and inclusive education programmes to create healthy and resilient societies.

In Senegal, the German Development Cooperation’s Regional Project “Sport for Development in Africa” (S4DA) harnessed the full pedagogical potential of sport to enhance the employability prospects of young people by bolstering their personal, social, methodological, and professional skills, while also promoting gender equity and inclusion.

Over the course of two project phases, the S4D approach was integrated into educational, vocational training, and sports programmes of 30 public and civil society partner organisations across nine regions. This integration involved the development of policies, curricula, and safeguarding processes. S4D has become an essential component of the training for physical education teachers, social workers, and sports managers graduating from the National Sports Institute (INSEPS) at Dakar University. In cooperation with partners, a S4D-based physical education curriculum was developed for the Network of Vocational Academies (RISEP) to enhance personal and social skills of learners relevant to the labor market. This curriculum has been mandatory in all ISEP training courses since January 2024.

Six S4D manuals were developed and are utilized by 334 teachers, educators, social workers, and coaches, promoting inclusive values and strengthening communication, teamwork, and entrepreneurship skills outside of traditional classroom settings. These individuals were trained as S4D multipliers, implementing regular S4D activities with over 7,350 children and young people.

Across Senegal, nineteen sports grounds were constructed or rehabilitated to provide safe spaces for children and youth.

S4DA co-created training and sensitization activities with civil society actors and local social enterprises, including a web-based infotainment series to raise awareness on topics such as girls in sports, menstrual hygiene, and positive role models, with the series being viewed one million times. The exhibition “père(s)-fille(s)”, displayed for six months at the Musée de la Femme de Dakar, highlighted the careers of Senegalese female athletes and entrepreneurs and the supportive roles played by their fathers, focusing on the concept of positive masculinity. Other activities focused on supporting female entrepreneurs in sport to develop sustainable business models, or strengthening female leadership and representation in sports through regional training camps with female boxers and female basketball coaches and referees.

At the regional level, S4DA supported the Olympafrica Foundation and its pan African network of sports and youth centers on strategy and inclusive programme development, safeguarding practices as well as monitoring and evaluation processes. S4D was integrated into the programmes of various national sports institutes across Africa in collaboration with the Conference of Sports and Youth Ministers of the Francophone Countries (CONFEJES).

We invite you to have a look at the following teaching and learning materials, which were created by the German Development Cooperation on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and our partner organizations in Senegal. You will find a more detailed description about the materials in our collection S4D Tools for your Practice/Teaching and Learning Materials.