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Niger

In Niger, the rural informal sector generates between 80 and 90% of overall employment, which primarily comprises agriculture and animal husbandry. Above and beyond the difficult overall situation, the country is facing the challenge of integrating young people into the professional world. It is rendered all the more challenging by lack of skills and professional experience, which in turn is attributable at least in part to an inadequate vocational education. 
Niger

Swisscontact in Niger

  • since 2005

Figures

  • Area: 1,268 million km²
  • Population: 22,44 million
  • Capital: Niamey

Projects

View all projects from Niger
2021 - 2025
Niger
Labour market insertion, Growth entrepreneurship
Local entrepreneurship promotion programme 
In Niger’s rural regions, where economic opportunities are scarce and youth unemployment is rising, the PROMEL programme offers a solution. By promoting local entrepreneurship and strengthening agricultural value chains, PROMEL empowers women and young people to build sustainable livelihoods. Through inclusive business clusters, access to finance, and targeted capacity building, the programme transforms local economies and fosters resilience in communities most affected by poverty and instability.
2023 - 2027
Niger
Initial vocational education and training, Labour market insertion
GWANI
In Niger, where over 70% of the population is under the age of 30 and youth unemployment remains a critical challenge, the GWANI project stands as a strategic and forward-looking response. Rooted in the country’s socio-economic realities, GWANI aims to transform vocational training into a powerful lever for inclusion and resilience. By connecting training programmes to the real needs of the local labour market and actively involving both public and private actors, the project empowers young Nigerien women and men, to build sustainable livelihoods and contribute to national development.
2024 - 2028
Niger
Initial vocational education and training, Labour market insertion
Entrepreneurship and Self-Employment for Disadvantaged Young Women and Men
The project improves the opportunities of young adults through vocational training, strengthening cooperation in the training sector, and promoting entrepreneurship in the emerging fields of Information and Communication Technology and food processing.
2019 - 2028
Niger
Initial vocational education and training
Alternative education programme for young people
The project provides a high quality alternative basic education with a leverage effect on the non-formal education system, enabling girls and boys aged 9 to 14 who have not completed school to acquire the basic skills necessary for integration into social and economic life.
2020 - 2025
Niger, Burkina Faso
Initial vocational education and training, Labour market insertion
Bridge Youth Connect
The purpose of YC is to facilitate access to strategic economic and social opportunities for vulnerable youth in Niger and Burkina Faso. 

News

View all news from Niger
DR Congo, Niger, Benin
06.03.2026
What if we’ve been missing half the solution? Men as allies in women’s empowerment
These are facts we all know: Across different contexts, women and girls are less likely to enrol in Vocational Education and Training (VET). Even when they do, social norms often limit their access to the full range of training and career choices. Consequently, they tend to remain in professions that are less valued and less remunerated, with limited prospects for economic advancement. Once they finish VET trainings, many women and girls in countries of developing and emerging economies do not enter the world of work due to social expectations that assign them unpaid care responsibilities and restrict their mobility. 
Niger
Growth entrepreneurship, Reskilling and upskilling
24.02.2026
From Local Livestock Trading to Regional Markets: The Power of Digital Skills
Thanks to digital training, a Nigerian agronomist multiplies his income and creates sustainable value.
Niger
Initial vocational education and training
30.01.2026
Opening Doors for Youth in Niger
How Swisscontact and Enfants du Monde are transforming futures through alternative education
Dirécteur Niger
Emile Rudasingwa

Our approach

Our strategy involves supporting local economic development through the promotion of a modern educational and vocational training system, thereby helping young people to successfully join the professional world and social life. 

To this end Swisscontact is developing market-friendly and contextual vocational training that meets local developmental needs and ensures participation and inclusion of local stakeholders. We support young people in their efforts to successfully join local economic life, by empowering them and increasing their employability. 

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Contact

Quartier Dar Es Salam, Cité STIN, BP 12 676 Niamey

En venant de la station Ola Energy, prenez le pavé Dar Es Salam et tournez à gauche juste avant la pharmacie Say. Prenez le deuxième couloir à droite. Le bureau se trouve sur votre gauche.

Les coordonnées GPS sont : 13°32'20.0"N 2°05'51.4"E

+227 20 73 96 37