‘Envol digital pour Elles’ is a three-year programme (2025–2028) that creates the conditions enabling 500 female entrepreneurs in Senegal to participate fully in the digital economy. As part of a joint initiative with CECI — Centre for International Studies and Cooperation, Canada —, FESTIC is collaborating with SavoirSphère, a Canadian NGO committed to empowering women through skills development. The project ‘Bridging the Digital Gender Gap in Cameroon and Senegal’, implemented by FESTIC in partnership with SavoirSphère Canada, is made possible thanks to financial support from the Government of Canada, through Global Affairs Canada. It aims to build the skills of 500 women entrepreneurs in Senegal – whether operating in the formal or informal sectors – in management and digital transformation, in order to promote the stability, performance and sustainable growth of their businesses, and to increase their participation in their countries’ digital economies. WHAT THE SELECTED WOMEN WILL RECEIVE Five face-to-face training modules, each lasting half a day. Four compulsory online training modules, to be completed at the participant’s own pace via IBM SkillsBuild: online safety, Google My Business, Google Drive and stress management. Other courses are available as optional extras. Twelve hours of personalised support following the training. A PROGRAMME THAT EXTENDS BEYOND THE CAPITAL The programme operates in both urban and rural areas: Dakar, the commercial capital, and the Thiès region, which comprises thirty-two rural communities. This is central to its purpose — a digital inclusion initiative that remained confined to the capital would merely replicate the digital divide it aims to bridge. A HANDS-ON APPROACH The training is action-oriented and focuses on tools that can be applied immediately. Learning is built on real-world experience, and the content is adapted as each cohort progresses. Digital technology is treated as a tool to support women entrepreneurs, never as an end in itself. The trainers are versatile: they are equally proficient in business management and digital skills, and adapt the training to the local, cultural, economic and digital realities of each region. PARTNERSHIP OBJECTIVES To strengthen the digital and entrepreneurial skills of Senegalese women. To create a network of local trainers capable of disseminating the knowledge acquired. To promote North–South cooperation around inclusive and sustainable digital technology. APPLICATION Applications must be submitted via the programme’s dedicated platform. The selection process takes into account the organisation’s local roots, the stage of development of its activities and its availability to complete the entire programme.
Who it's for
- Women entrepreneurs based in Senegal
- which is already up and running.
- Both formal and informal businesses — no legal status is required.
- Women Entrepreneurs in Dakar
- commercial capital.
- Women entrepreneurs in the Thiès region
- including its thirty-two rural communities.
Selection criteria
- To be running a business
- formal or informal.
- Be available for the entire course: face-to-face
- online courses and support.
- Having a smartphone or a computer makes online lessons easier.
- Sufficient internet access to follow the four compulsory courses via recorded sessions.
Who the facilitators are
- Local trainers
- trained and equipped as part of the project.
- Integrated skills: business management and digital skills.
- Able to tailor the training to local circumstances
- cultural
- economic and digital.
- Focusing on independence
- to the confidence and work-life balance of female entrepreneurs.
Facilitators' role
- To strengthen the digital and entrepreneurial skills of Senegalese women.
- To establish a network of local trainers capable of passing on the knowledge they have acquired.
- To promote North–South cooperation on inclusive and sustainable digital development.
- Promoting stability
- the performance and sustainable growth of the businesses we support.
- To increase women’s participation in their country’s digital economy.
Facilitators' responsibilities
- Co-design
- to lead the training session and adapt it to the audience actually present.
- To support female entrepreneurs in gaining practical and transferable skills.
- Put digital tools into context rather than presenting them in isolation.
- To ensure the quality and consistency of the roll-out across all regions.
- To act as a liaison and resource facilitator for the participants.
Follow-up and evaluation
- Submit your application via the programme’s dedicated platform.
- Selection based on geographical area
- depending on the stage of the activity and availability.
- Complete the five face-to-face modules with your cohort.
- Complete the four compulsory online courses on IBM SkillsBuild.
- Receive twelve hours of personalised support following the training course.
Expected outcomes
- A fresh perspective on their business and clearly identified areas for improvement.
- A simple digital presence
- consistent and tailored to its objectives.
- Working methods that minimise oversights
- mistakes and wasted time.
- A clear message and brand image
- tailored to its customers.
- Practices that support personal resilience and the sustainability of the business.
- What you’ll learn from the four IBM SkillsBuild courses: online security
- Google My Business
- Google Drive
- stress management.
- Twelve hours of personalised support tailored to their actual work.
Activity schedule
| Activity | Frequency | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Tables de discussion avec les femmes entrepreneures | Phase préparatoire | Besoins réels identifiés sur le terrain, à Dakar comme dans les communautés rurales de Thiès, et contenus ajustés en conséquence. |
| Constitution du réseau de formatrices locales | Phase préparatoire | Des formatrices polyvalentes — gestion d’entreprise et numérique — capables de diffuser les savoirs acquis sur leur territoire. |
| Lancement des deux programmes pilotes, à Thiès et à Dakar | Mars 2026 | Livraison de la formation aux cohortes pilotes 1 et 2, et validation du dispositif en conditions réelles. |
| Mise en place de la plateforme numérique de formation et de suivi | 2026 | Candidatures, parcours et suivi centralisés en un seul endroit, accessible aux participantes comme aux formatrices. |
| Déploiement des cohortes suivantes | 2026 à 2028 | 500 femmes entrepreneures sénégalaises formées, en milieu urbain comme rural. |
| Accompagnement individualisé post-formation | À l’issue de chaque cohorte | Douze heures par entrepreneure, pour transformer les acquis en pratiques tenues dans la durée. |
| Échanges bilatéraux entre le FESTIC, le CECI et SavoirSphère | Tout au long du projet | Un modèle de coopération féminine Nord–Sud reproductible, des contenus pédagogiques et des rapports d’impact conjoints. |
Roadmap
Module 1 — Taking stock of your business to better plan for the future
Face-to-face — 4 hours
Reflect on the foundations needed for your business to develop and grow: take a step back, look at your business from a fresh perspective, and identify what you would like to improve or change over the coming months.
Module 2 — Thinking about your digital presence in a different way
Face-to-face — 4 hours
Identify the key elements of a simple, consistent digital presence that is tailored to your objectives. Analyse your current digital presence, how your customers perceive it, what is working well and what could be clarified to enhance your visibility and credibility.
Module 3 — Avoiding mistakes and providing better service to customers
Face-to-face — 4 hours
Organising your business using simple methods: save time, minimise oversights and mistakes, improve customer relations and feel more in control in your day-to-day work.
Module 4 — Clarifying your brand image and presenting your business more effectively
Face-to-face — 4 hours
Develop a clear message, a consistent image and communication tailored to your customer base. Understand what sets your business apart, how you want it to be perceived, and how to present it in a simple, consistent and memorable way.
Module 5 — Resilient Women Entrepreneurs and Sustainable Businesses
Face-to-face — 4 hours
Identify the factors that underpin stable growth, sound management and a healthy work-life balance. Develop habits and strategies that strengthen personal resilience and the organisation’s sustainability.
Online course — Online safety
Online — 25 mins
IBM SkillsBuild course taken via recorded sessions. Compulsory as part of the programme.
Online courses — Google My Business
Online — 1 hr 23 mins
IBM SkillsBuild course taken via recorded sessions. Compulsory as part of the programme.
Online course — Google Drive
Online — 1 hr 53 mins
IBM SkillsBuild course taken via recorded sessions. Compulsory as part of the programme.
Online course — Stress management
Online — 1 hour 30 minutes
IBM SkillsBuild course taken via self-paced learning. Compulsory as part of the programme. Other SkillsBuild courses remain available as optional modules.
Personalised support
12 hours per female entrepreneur
Following the training, personalised support helps each female entrepreneur apply what she has learnt to her actual business — this is where situations that cannot be resolved in a group setting are addressed.