Empowering the Sahel: How Economic Inclusion Programs Are Transforming Livelihoods

In the face of mounting socio-economic and environmental challenges, the Sahel region is turning to economic inclusion programs as a critical lever for resilience and development. The World Bank’s 2025 policy note, Pathways to Scale, authored by Margaux Vinez and supported by research from the Partnership for Economic Inclusion (PEI), Innovations for Poverty Action, and the World Bank’s Social Protection and Jobs Global Practice, outlines how these programs are helping transform lives across Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, and Senegal. These initiatives offer comprehensive packages that combine life skills training, entrepreneurship coaching, psychosocial support, financial literacy, and small grants, each component aimed at breaking the entrenched cycles of poverty, gender disparity, and unemployment. What makes the Sahelian experience particularly compelling is not just the strength of evidence supporting these interventions, but the political will to scale them, adaptively and inclusively.

Women at the Forefront of Economic Transformation

In a region where 42.5 percent of people survive on less than $1.90 per day and where climate change, conflict, and population growth conspire against economic stability, the drive for inclusive, community-based solutions has never been more urgent. Economic inclusion programs in the Sahel overwhelmingly prioritize women, over 80 percent of participants in Senegal and nearly 100 percent in several others. This reflects an intentional design that seeks to redress systemic gender inequalities and unlock the potential of women as drivers of household income and community resilience. These programs tackle gendered barriers such as limited control over resources, mobility constraints, and social norms that limit women's participation in decision-making. By including couple-based training, gender-sensitive financial services, and flexible schedules, the programs aim to empower women not only economically, but also socially and psychologically.

The results speak volumes. Between 2017 and 2021, evaluations across five countries revealed that women’s monthly business revenues increased substantially, by $21 in Niger, $138 in Chad, $170 in Mauritania, and a striking $302 in Senegal. Consumption rose by 8–15 percent in Niger, Mauritania, and Chad, while household savings surged, with quarterly growth of $10–$58 across countries. Participation in savings groups grew by up to 38 percentage points. These impacts were not isolated. In Chad, non-participants in intervention villages also experienced improved food consumption and financial activity, underscoring the ripple effects of community-targeted inclusion strategies.

Scaling Up with Precision and Purpose

Encouraged by these positive outcomes, Sahelian governments are now rapidly expanding their economic inclusion efforts. The expansion strategies vary across contexts. Senegal has adopted a rotating model where inclusion programs are temporarily deployed in selected zones. Mauritania, after initially covering all safety net beneficiaries, is now targeting those exiting five-year participation programs. Chad has embedded economic inclusion into its core national safety net platform, effectively creating a fully integrated “productive safety net.” These programs cost between $250 and $575 per beneficiary, relatively modest given the returns. Conservative estimates show that even when assuming rapid benefits decay, returns range from 1 percent in Chad to 55 percent in Niger. Under more optimistic projections, the returns soar, up to 248 percent in Niger and 179 percent in Senegal.

Delivery models are evolving in tandem. Most countries have adopted hybrid approaches where governments coordinate but outsource technically demanding tasks, like training and coaching, to NGOs and private firms. Evidence from Niger and Senegal shows that specialist-led components deliver better outcomes than those run solely by government staff. These hybrid systems offer both scalability and quality control while gradually building government capacity for long-term oversight.

Building for Climate Resilience and Fragile Contexts

Climate change looms large over the Sahel. Rising temperatures, unpredictable rainfall, and desertification threaten agricultural livelihoods and deepen vulnerabilities. Recognizing this, several countries are now integrating climate adaptation into economic inclusion programming. In Senegal, new technical modules train participants in climate-smart practices. Across the board, programs contribute to adaptation through income diversification, increased savings, and improved risk management. The report calls for further innovation, such as embedding climate information in coaching sessions, to help participants make better-informed economic decisions in the face of environmental uncertainty.

Fragile and conflict-affected areas require special attention. In places like Burkina Faso and parts of Chad, programs have been simplified to account for limited mobility and security risks. Operational models reduce reliance on group gatherings, recruit local personnel, and deploy mobile payment systems. New psychosocial modules are being piloted to help participants process trauma and rebuild mental well-being. Community-building activities are also incorporated to foster social cohesion among ethnically or politically divided groups. These adjustments ensure that even in the most volatile contexts, the promise of economic inclusion remains viable.

Sustaining the Momentum Through Policy and Finance

Despite the growing footprint of economic inclusion in the Sahel, long-term sustainability remains a challenge. While national safety net programs in countries like Mauritania and Senegal have achieved formal institutional recognition, productive inclusion components are still largely financed by donors and sit outside national budget frameworks. The policy note urges governments to anchor these programs more firmly within poverty reduction, social protection, gender, and climate policies. Inclusion in national budget laws, the creation of dedicated financing lines, and integration into Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) are seen as critical next steps. Doing so could unlock access to climate financing and ensure these programs endure beyond the typical project cycles.

Pathways to Scale ultimately paints a hopeful, evidence-based picture of what economic inclusion can achieve when rooted in context-specific design, institutional commitment, and adaptive learning. In a region often characterized by fragility, it offers a rare story of resilience, transformation, and scalable impact, led by women, driven by data, and steered by pragmatic partnerships.