Studies on the average costs for the launch of a micro-enterprise in key economic sectors in Mali, Senegal and Tunisia
OFII together with the European Return and Reintegration Network (ERRIN) has commissioned studies to assess the average cost for the launch of a micro-enterprise in the key economic sectors of reintegration in three returning countries: Mali, Senegal, and Tunisia.
Through the study of cattle fattening, poultry farming or even coastal fishing and general trade among others, the consultants recruited for these studies have drawn the essential investments for the creation of an enterprise in these sectors. The figures obtained, far from the European average for reintegration assistance, lead us to the following conclusions:
- Reintegration assistance is only an aid and can never be used as the sole source of income by a returning migrant in their country of origin.
- There are several solutions for supplementing the capital needed to launch a micro‑enterprise:
- Personal contribution, in kind or in cash, ensures the beneficiary’s commitment to their project and often calls for the participation of the wider family, for example through the allocation of a plot of land. This therefore accentuates the social dimension of reintegration.
- This dynamic, which is still at the experimental stage in the field, must be generalized in order to guarantee the sustainability of the action. Convergence of several actors, national administrations of countries of return and host countries, public development aid agencies, associations, and international organisations, ensures a consolidated success of the reintegration projects.
- Strengthening of the training component, which is often sidelined due to lack of funding, the creation of basic training accounting and business management tools, has emerged as a precondition for the success of an enterprise.
- Pre-departure orientation must inform the migrant of the capital needed to launch their enterprise in the chosen sector of activity. The inability to produce a contribution or the unavailability of certain key investments must be identified as early as possible in order to reorient the project and manage the aspirations of the returning migrant.
To find the 3 studies in French and English, by clicking here