The Osiris Project: AD Gembloux rural cooperative approach in Senegal – the voice of beneficiaries.

The organization of informal worker is a core issue within the framework of informal economy. For instance, cooperative structures make it possible to create a bridge between formal and informal economy and to create frameworks of integrated services to strengthen financial, social and health security of informal workers.

Following this approach, the Osiris project, implemented by the NGO AD Gembloux, aims at establishing the Cooperative for the Inclusive Development of the Djiolor District (COORDID) in Senegal.

The objective of the EU-funded OSIRIS project is "To improve the social and economic protection of vulnerable rural populations dependent on the informal economy by deploying an offer of cooperative and mutual services in 8 regions of Senegal".

For this purpose, the project has contributed to the establishment of the Rural Cooperative for Inclusive Development in the district of Djilor (COORDID).

The cooperative has supported 1.900 members in development of local rural businesses through the provision of financial support, support facilities, technical advice on production techniques, entrepreneurship and risk management.

The NGO has collected some testimonies from key project stakeholders in order to measure the impact of the intervention. Here below are some of the findings and good practices identified:

Karim Ndiaye  , President of the COORDID, points out the improvement of technical capacities of farmers through the support of the cooperative to agricultural facilities acquisition such as fertilizers and equipment.

Sheikh Sylla, president of the village section of Thilla , highlights the enforcement of producers organization and coordination. As a result, their interests are better represented and the dialogue with other institutions was facilitated.

According to, Nafi Sarr, Chairman of the COORDID Supervisory Board,  farmers’ skills and competences have been strengthened through regular training on production techniques and receive management advisory.

Younoussa Sow, president of the village section of Keur FAFA WELY, has underlined the improvement of Social inclusion, with the inclusion of vulnerable groups such as women and disabled people in decisional processes.

According to El Hadj Samba Cisse, vice-president of COORD, Life conditions of rural producers have been improved through the provision of healthcare and the establishment of insurance schemes.

For more info, check the publication of AD Gembloux in our library section: https://europa.eu/capacity4dev/iesf/documents/mise-en-place-de-la-cooperative-pour-le-developpement-inclusif-de-larrondissement-de