Italian Cooperation in the country

For more than thirty years, the Italian Cooperation in Senegal has been supporting all efforts to reduce poverty in the Country and promote economic and social empowerment of the most vulnerable groups. The evolution of the intervention strategy in Senegal has consistently followed the needs of the local government and population, through the establishment of the Local Technical Unit in Dakar in 2006, and, subsequently, of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation Office in 2016.

The identification of the priority areas of intervention has included the indications of the Senegalese Ministries partners, the priorities set out in the Guidelines of the Directorate General for Development Cooperation of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the indications of consultative donors groups and NGOs present in the Country.

Italian initiatives in Senegal are mainly realised through bilateral programmes, managed directly by the Senegalese Government, with a view to ownership. In order to promote a systemic approach, financial availability is integrated with activities co-financed to Italian civil society organisations, initiatives of Italian territorial entities, and, on the multilateral channel, actions carried out by international organisations.

The gender impact measurement is particularly relevant, as a transversal theme for all initiatives and as an object of specific interventions aimed at favouring the inclusion of gender issues in public policies at various levels. The role of local authorities and a planned vision of the territory also characterise all the Italian interventions; the development strategy of the regions has become a cornerstone of the process of relaunching the economy.

Strategic development document in the country

With the election of President Macky Sall in 2012, a strategic plan for economic and social development was approved: the Emerging Senegal Plan (PSE). The document has a temporal vision oriented up to 2035 but is operationally focused on the 2014-2018 period; to this end, a Priority Action Plan (PAP) based on the strategic axes of the PSE has been implemented, through programmes and projects in line with the sectoral objectives.

The PSE has the primary objective of orienting the economic development of the Country towards an inclusive and sustainable growth trajectory. It is based on three main axes:

• The structural transformation of the economy through the consolidation of the current driver of the economic growth, and the development of new sectors generating wealth and employment, with due regard for the principle of social inclusion. It sets the goal of an economy capable of attracting foreign investments and oriented towards exports, in the context of a more balanced development which promotes existing strong economic hubs;



• The significant improvement in the living conditions of population, through the fight against economic and social inequalities, respecting natural resources and encouraging the emergence of productive territories;



• Strengthening security and stability, with particular attention to the protection of rights and freedoms, through the consolidation of the rule of law, with the final objective of creating the best conditions for social peace that foster the full exploitation of the Country’s potential.

The Italian strategy and the areas of intervention

As enshrined in the AICS 2017-2019 Programming Document, Senegal remains a priority country for the Italian Cooperation, which in recent years has significantly increased its activities in the Country.

The Italy-Senegal Country Programme 2014-2016, reference document also for 2017, confirmed the following areas of intervention as priorities for Italian cooperation, shared with the other donors and consistent with the national strategy for economic and social development:

• Agriculture and Rural Development;



• Private sector and local economic development;



• Social protection, gender and education.

The importance of these sectors was reiterated with the coordination work at EU level, which led to the "European Joint Strategy Document for Senegal 2018-2023".

Further, Italian local autonomies intervene in Senegal mainly, though not exclusively, through the action of Italian civil society organisations, which have substantial experience in the Country and in their respective sectors of intervention. The role played by other actors of the Italian reality is also fundamental: first and foremost the immigrants associations, universities, health institutions and small and medium-sized enterprises, which are often promoters of the cooperation initiatives as well as important links with the Senegalese communities.

Alignment with the local government strategy and harmonization with donor community interventions

Programmes and projects of the Italian Cooperation in Senegal are part of the Government's strategy for poverty reduction. The importance of defining a clear and coherent sectoral framework is reflected by the fact that all current and concluded programmes provide support to the Senegalese Authorities in the formulation and application of sector strategies.

Italy actively participates in the inter-donor coordination mechanism in Senegal, as chairman of the Senegalese Technical and Financial Partners' Concertation Committee (CCPTF / Groupe des 12), and participates in the extended coordination of the entire donor community of the Country (Groupe des 50). Inter-donor dialogue is realised on a practical level through meetings of 16 thematic working groups. With reference to the important coordination work in the EU, Italy has accepted and integrated in the actions planned for 2017 the general and specific objectives elaborated in the "European Joint Strategy Document for Senegal 2018-2023", drawn up by the member countries that are active in Senegal, in collaboration with the EU Delegation. This document was approved during the 491st EDF (European Development Fund) Committee meeting held in Brussels on 20 March 2018.

Goals and expected results

The ultimate goal of Italian Cooperation in Senegal is to support the Government in implementing its sustainable and inclusive economic and social development agenda. In line with the priority sectors, Italy intends to pursue these objectives:

• Agriculture and rural development – The Italian Cooperation aims at supporting a sustainable increase of the agricultural productions, through an efficient use and the preservation of the natural resources; reducing extreme vulnerability and food insecurity; promoting the availability of food and access to markets; improving governance in the management of production factors and the marketing of agricultural products.



• Local economic development and private sector – The priorities identified by Italy and the Senegalese Government in support of the private sector highlight the need to promote the strengthening of a diversified financial sector (inclusive finance), which would ensure a range of services adapted to the needs of micro and small businesses according to their development cycle and the sector/supply chain. With regard to social protection, the Italian Cooperation initiatives have contributed to developing a coherent and inclusive strategy, which envisages the promotion of economic and social empowerment of vulnerable groups, in particular women and young people, through the creation of integrated services for economic and social development.



• Social protection, gender equality and education – Regarding gender equality, Italy accompanies the Senegalese Government, and in particular the Ministry in charge of gender policies, in the implementation of the national strategy for the promotion of gender equality and women’s empowerment. A specific attention is given to gender institutionalisation, through the development of complex indicators to be adopted at the local level in the most strategic sectors, and through the harmonisation of national provisions with international legislation on women's rights. As for the education sector, the Italian contribution aims at improving the quality of the educational system, in line with the 2013-2025 national programme for education and training, through the development of adequate conditions for access to education, and the promotion of equality and inclusion, with particular attention to the rights of children who are victims of exploitation.

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