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At the age of 30, Boubacar Fomba is one of the most successful young poultry farmers in Kayes, a town 495 kilometers northwest of Mali's capital, Bamako. For Boubacar, it all started with fifteen thousand FCFA (27 USD) when he was at secondary school.

"When I was at university, my parents sent fifteen thousand FCFA a month as an allowance. This amount was supposed to cover food, clothing, transportation, etc. As you can imagine, it wasn't enough. So, one day, I took the money and bought seven chicks. From this investment, I earned up to around 37,000 FCFA (67 USD). That's how it all started," says Boubacar.

Convinced that this was an excellent business opportunity, young Fomba decided to invest. He used the profits from the seven chicks, added whatever he earned from occasional cleaning jobs and intermittent scholarship money, and put it all into his budding poultry business.

He managed to build his business and study at the same time, even graduating with honors.

Thanks to CORAF's NEYAT (Renforcement de Capacités des Jeunes en Entrepreneuriat Agricole) program, Boubacar was able to develop a solid financial business plan and learn a great deal about entrepreneurship. The program also enabled him to expand and diversify his activities.

"Thanks to this program, I've built a network that covers the whole region. I've learned to better manage my business using new technologies and tools."

Today, Boubacar supplies chicken to hotels, restaurants and retailers throughout Kayes and beyond. He opened his own restaurant not so long ago, as well as several outlets.

"In 2018, we made a profit of 38 million FCFA (69,000 USD). We hope to do better in 2019. We want to grow and become a big brand, something like KFC or even bigger" says Boubacar.

Thanks to his business, he got married and now employs many people. Today, Boubacar feels financially secure. He has quit his job to concentrate on his farm.

"I earn my living by working hard. I feel I'm contributing to the growth of my country's economy. I feel proud when I visit a hotel and see guests eating chicken from my farm," says Boubacar.

The NEYAT program, financed by the Islamic Development Bank, is designed to combat unemployment by building the skills of young people and helping them to develop their businesses, mainly in the agricultural sector.