In Senegal, startups, SMEs and informal companies represent a large part of the economy (97% of jobs according to ANSD, 2017), but their resilience and agility are threatened by slow growth and limited scalability, which is a result of insufficient job creation and limited revenue.

In the tourism industry, access to qualified employees, markets and financing is limited. There’s also a lack of digital expertise, marketing budget and financial strategy knowledge.

Through the TUI Futureshapers Programme, 90 MSMEs receive four months’ digital business support, with online consultations providing each cohort of five businesses up to 320 hours of support. This targetted consultancy includes topics such as creating a unique selling proposition and learning about marketing, communication and customer retention. Additionally, each cohort can participate in physical workshops and networking sessions in Dakar and Mbour. Training covers questions such as how to create and host a website as well as how to manage a shared professional space.

TUI Futureshapers Senegal also identifies ten high potential start-ups to receive a venture building programme with a team of international experts and a local field team. Over a period of seven months, they receive specialised training and consultancy to transform them into market-ready enterprises.

The programme culminates with an investor trip, through which several European investors can discover the vibrant Senegalese tourism ecosystem with the ultimate objective of investing in participants of the project.