Image: Moussa Ba, president of the Mbour Mototaxi Drivers’ Cooperative (Photo: ILO)
In cities across Senegal, motorbike taxis – or Jakartas – remain one of the main forms of transport, particularly where conventional public transport is lacking. Despite the essential role Jakarta riders play in keeping cities moving, they remain largely part of the informal economy, with many riders working independently and facing challenges around harassment by authorities, a lack of formal recognition, and safety issues.
In the city of Mbour, a group of drivers are now organising co-operatively to formalise their occupation. The Mbour Mototaxi Drivers’ Cooperative (SOCOMOYO) was formally established following two weeks of training in early June, based on the International Labour Organization (ILO)’s Think.Coop and Start.Coop tools. Backed by the ILO’s ADIJEFE youth project, a series of workshops brought together motorbike taxi drivers from across Mbour to explore co-operative principles, democratic governance, business planning and financial management.
Participants were then supported in creating the new co-operative, starting with market research, technical and financial feasibility, business plan development, before drafting the organisation’s bylaws and electing its leadership.
Moussa Ba, President of the motorbike taxi drivers in Mbour, said: “We were invited by the ILO, with support from Italian development cooperation, to take part in this SCOOP training. We [hope] that by the end of the training, we will have all the tools we need to advance professionally, become formalised, and be recognised in our work. Forming cooperatives will enable us to be more respected in our work and to aspire to a better life through decent work.”
The training workshops were also praised for their inclusive nature. “I am very pleased to have taken part in this training on setting up the Mbour motorbike taxi co-operative, particularly for its inclusive dimension,” said Ousseynou Mbaye, Member of the Mbour Centre for People with Disabilities. “Usually, people with disabilities are not involved in this sort of activity. We thank the ILO, through the ADIJEFE project, and Italian cooperation, for enabling us to develop our skills, formalise our activity and demonstrate that having a disability does not prevent access to decent work.”
The training culminated in SOCOMOYO’s founding general assembly on 20 June, where members formally adopted the co-op’s bylaws before electing a board of directors, an executive committee, and a supervisory board. From there, the organisation has begun the hard work of representing drivers, improving their working conditions and economic prospects, and developing a sustainable collective enterprise.
