Junior Expert: invaluable experience in international cooperation

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Dounia El Akram during sensitisation workshop with two colleagues

Dounia El Akrami (centre) during an awareness-raising workshop on entrepreneurship in Fès, as part of Link up Africa. © Dounia El Akrami

INTERVIEW – The Junior Programme offers young people the opportunity to gain professional experience in a partner country of the Belgian Development Cooperation. Dounia El Akrami was able to participate in a project on entrepreneurship in Rabat, Morocco. She recounts her experiences.

What route did you take before becoming a Junior Expert?

At ULB, I first did a bachelor's degree in international trade, followed by a master's degree in population and development sciences.

As part of my bachelor's degree, I gained my first professional experience during an internship at hub.brussels in London. I did market prospecting there for potential exporters from Brussels. My office was in the Trade office of the Belgian Embassy.

I also did a three-month internship on female entrepreneurship for APEFE in Rabat, Morocco. That made me want to work over there.

Junior Experts: young talents as ambassadors of the Sustainable Development Goals

The Junior Programme is a programme of the Belgian Development Cooperation – managed by the FPS Foreign Affairs – implemented by the Belgian development agency Enabel. Young people from Europe up to the age of 31 are given the opportunity to participate professionally in a project for up to two years. This can be a project of Enabel itself or of the 28 partner NGOs.

As Junior Experts, these young people gain valuable professional experience in Africa or the Middle East and learn new skills. At the same time, they develop personally – adaptability, autonomy, critical thinking... – and grow into global citizens and ambassadors of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Interested? All necessary information can be found here: Become or hire a Junior Expert.

Where did you hear about the Junior Programme?

During my studies, I learned from fellow students that there was such a thing as the Belgian development agency Enabel and their Junior Programme. Since then, I regularly checked the website to see if they might be looking for a profile that matched me. I already knew then that I really wanted to do something around entrepreneurship or education.

And a job offer in Morocco actually came up! I applied without really believing I had a chance. The recruitment process was long and fell during an intense period: the final year of my master's degree with the exams and my dissertation... But to my surprise I made it through!

What project are you working on?

Since 23 October 2023, I have been working for Link up Africa, a project initiated by the EU and Morocco, funded by the EU and implemented by Enabel and the Moroccan Agency for International Cooperation (AMCI). Link up Africa revolves around 'triangular' cooperation: between Morocco, sub-Saharan Africa and the EU.

It aims to strengthen technical cooperation between Morocco and other African countries, as well as academic and economic ties. The focus is on creating economic opportunities for young people.

What are your responsibilities?

I am in charge of coaching sub-Saharan youth residing in Morocco who want to start a business. So far, I have organised 12 workshops in 10 Moroccan cities to get young people excited about entrepreneurship and Link up Africa. In total, this has allowed us to reach 1,500 people.

We received 250 applications, from which I made a selection based on criteria such as social and environmental impact, valorisation of women and clarity of the idea. This way, we were able to identify 150 future entrepreneurs.

We are also increasing the capacity of a number of training centres. Of the 150 starters identified, 40 were selected who will attend master classes and receive personal coaching at those centres. A partner provides the pedagogical content, but we watch over its quality and monitor the starters.

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Dounia El Akram working behind laptop

Her work as a junior expert is a very enriching experience for Dounia. © Dounia El Akrami

And do you like it?

I am very satisfied and find it very enriching! For my very first job, I like that I can do all kinds of things. I quickly gained full confidence from my colleagues and was able to work autonomously.

I am also strongly challenged. After all, you need a flexible attitude and quick adaptability. I also like working in a diplomatic and political context.

For me personally, I find it fascinating to discover my roots. My grandparents came to Belgium to work and now I am making the reverse move. I can be a bridge and contribute to the image of Belgium as well as Morocco.

Enabel's website states that professionalism and personal development are essential values for a Junior Expert. Did you get coaching for that?

Of course, the people they recruit already have those values in them. But I do work closely with the 'entrepreneurship project officer', who acts as a kind of mentor, and with the project manager who stands above him. They help me a little on a technical level but also on a human level. For example, how to deal with the people from the EU, from AMCI and so on. After all, this is my first real professional experience.

I am also in close contact with the Brussels office. With all my questions – administrative but also personal – I can turn to the focal point there.

Another key point of the Junior Programme is that it aims to turn Junior Experts into 'active, critical and engaged global citizens who help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)'. What does that involve for you?

We should spend about 5% of our time on 'global citizenship'. To begin with, we observe what the specific problems are in the environment where we work. For example, some juniors focus on the challenges around menstruation and its impact on the lives of young girls, while others deal with issues such as deforestation. I myself have chosen to delve into water scarcity.

I noticed that the drought in Morocco is very widely recognized as an important problem. Yet cities continue to view water as something that is very abundantly available. Because even on hot days, water flows from the tap! While farmers in rural areas often suffer from a shortage that makes it difficult for them to make a living.

What exactly do you do around water?

I participate in conferences and talk about it with colleagues, neighbours and the like. In this way I collect 'informal' information. But I also have more formal conversations with those involved. By telling people about what I am learning, I try to raise awareness about the sustainable management of water.

More specifically, I want to collect testimonies in the field. These will then be used for a video animation intended for children and adolescents. The animation will explain in a playful way how water management in cities has a direct impact on rural areas, with a focus on those who suffer the most from water shortages, namely farmers and women.

You are now in your second year as a Junior Expert. How do you see your future afterwards?

I would like to continue to be involved in international cooperation and entrepreneurship among young people and women. We cannot save the entire economy through entrepreneurship, but I think it is extremely important. And I want to focus especially on those who are vulnerable economically. There are a lot of young people in Morocco – and, by extension, in all of Africa – and this keeps increasing.

Later still, I also very much want to become an entrepreneur myself and contribute to the image of both Belgium and Morocco, as a kind of bridge figure. Ideally, I would like to work in Morocco, while always maintaining ties with Belgium.

What advice would you give to young people who want to become Junior Experts?

I think the most important quality is to be curious: you have to be interested in many things. And just go ahead and apply, even if you think your chances are super low.

Also, fully commit to the job. You have to be able to find value in your work. Wake up in the morning with the idea of doing your part again that day, even though you know you can't change the whole world.