Youth entrepreneurship in the Sahel for peace and stability
Sahelian youth transform climate and security crises into green jobs and resilient entrepreneurship.
In the Sahel, climate shocks, insecurity, and economic fragility are reshaping livelihoods and threatening social stability. Nearly four million people have been displaced in the Central Sahel due to violence, insecurity, and environmental pressures—an increase of two-thirds over the past five years. At the same time, youth unemployment remains alarmingly high, reaching more than 40% in parts of Mali.
Yet across the region, young entrepreneurs are demonstrating that crises can also generate innovation, resilience, and new forms of community solidarity.
This reality came into sharper focus during the webinar “Entrepreneurship done differently in Mali–How are young entrepreneurs turning crises into opportunities?”, organised by SNV and E4Impact Francophone Africa Foundation in January 2026. The conversation revealed entrepreneurship not merely as an economic pursuit, but as a strategic lever for resilience, stability, and long-term opportunity.
A multidimensional crisis and a demographic reality
The Sahel faces intersecting challenges: climate change, land degradation, insecurity, and limited economic opportunities. With more than 45% of the population under the age of 25, the region’s stability is closely tied to whether young people can access decent livelihoods.
In Mali, youth unemployment rates are extremely high in the rural areas posing a significant risk to social cohesion and food security within communities. Across sub-Saharan Africa, nearly one in four young people are NEET—not in employment, education, or training. These dynamics, combined with competition over natural resources, can contribute to migration, social frustration, and recruitment into violent groups.
But crises can also accelerate innovation. Just as the 2008 financial crisis catalysed the growth of FinTech across Africa, climate pressures are now driving innovation in green jobs, renewable energy, and climate-smart agriculture. Young entrepreneurs are increasingly using digital tools, local knowledge, and community networks to adapt to rapidly changing conditions.
Crises are not inevitabilities, but catalysts for agile, inclusive and community-based entrepreneurship."
Youssouf Koumaré
Entrepreneurship as resilience in practice
Entrepreneurship in contexts of instability often becomes a collective effort rooted in community resilience. Businesses are closely tied to local well-being, and success is measured not only in profit, but also in stability, social cohesion, and sustained livelihoods. Young entrepreneurs frequently act as problem-solvers, creating local economic opportunities that reduce vulnerability to migration, recruitment into armed groups, or long-term reliance on humanitarian assistance.
The GoGreen Mali project, funded by the Dutch Embassy, illustrates this approach. By equipping young people with green skills—from composting and solar energy to biofuels, reforestation, and biogas—the initiative has helped build peer-support networks in Bamako, Ségou, Sikasso, and Mopti, strengthening local entrepreneurial ecosystems and knowledge-sharing among youth-led businesses.
In fragile environments, resilience often matters more than rapid growth. When insecurity disrupts markets and supply chains, young entrepreneurs adapt—focusing on local markets, shortening value chains, and designing businesses that can withstand climate and security shocks.
The experience of Amadou Guindo, founder of Sigui Tolo Industries and an alumnus of the E4Impact MBA and GoGreen programmes, illustrates both the risks and the resilience that define entrepreneurship in the region
Through his company, he transforms locally sourced, often underutilised crops—such as moringa, balanites, baobab, sesame, castor, and marula—into high-quality vegetable oils for food, cosmetics, and therapeutic applications.
After losing three colleagues to violent attacks, he has continued to strengthen local value chains. His experience underscores a critical reality: in fragile contexts, entrepreneurs often serve not only as business leaders but as anchors of stability and community-driven solutions.
When local enterprises grow, livelihoods strengthen, markets adapt, and communities become more resilient to shocks. Stronger local economies reduce exposure to conflict dynamics and displacement pressures.
Initiatives such as the Peaceful Pastoral Cross-Border Mobility and Social Stability in the Sahel (MOPSS) programme illustrate how youth economic inclusion can serve as a driver of social cohesion and conflict reduction. By strengthening pastoral value chains, supporting youth participation, and integrating young entrepreneurs into agropastoral markets, MOPSS-2 demonstrates how resilience translates into greater stability. Investments in youth livelihoods do more than generate income—they help stabilise communities and foster peaceful coexistence across borders.
Stability, in turn, lays the foundation for sustainable growth. Economically active and socially cohesive communities are better positioned to pursue long-term development and shared prosperity.
Lessons for building sustainable opportunity
Three lessons emerge from these entrepreneurs' testimonials:
First, access to skills, information, and finance remains fundamental. Training programs, mentorship, and business support services significantly expand opportunities for young people. Partnerships such as SNV’s collaboration with the University of Ségou—which developed environmental and social impact assessment tools for entrepreneurs—show how practical support can improve sustainability outcomes.
Second, resilience must be integrated into entrepreneurship support. In fragile contexts, businesses must be designed to withstand climate, market, and security shocks. This requires flexible financing, locally grounded value chains, and stronger collaboration between public and private actors, with clear pathways for scaling viable enterprises beyond the micro level.
Third, youth entrepreneurship should be recognised as a peacebuilding investment. Economic opportunity reduces vulnerability, strengthens dignity, and reinforces social cohesion. Supporting young entrepreneurs is not only a development priority—it is a stability strategy
Ultimately, stability in the Sahel depends on economic opportunity for young people.”
Tchegoun Adebo Koba
An urgent investment priority
Scaling youth employment and green entrepreneurship initiatives is essential for long-term stability. Programmes such as GoGreen Mali, MOPSS and the E4Impact MBA demonstrate how entrepreneurship support can simultaneously address unemployment, climate adaptation, and social cohesion.
To strengthen policy relevance, future efforts should integrate clearer impact metrics—such as enterprise survival rates, job creation outcomes, and income growth data—alongside qualitative narratives of resilience.
Accelerating investment in youth-led enterprises, strengthening entrepreneurial ecosystems, and embedding sustainability across training and financing mechanisms will be critical in the years ahead.
The resilience of the Sahel will depend not only on humanitarian or security responses, but also on the economic opportunities available to its young population.
Authors: Tchegoun Adebo Koba (Global Technical Advisor, Youth Employment & Entrepreneurship at SNV) and Youssouf Koumaré (Value Chain Expert and E4Impact Mali MBA/Non-MBA Trainer)