Located on the western tip of Africa, Senegal is a partner country in German and international development cooperation.  GTZ has been working in Senegal for more than 35 years on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), and has operated an office in the capital, Dakar, since 1989.

Senegal is among the world’s poorest countries. Roughly one quarter of the 12 million inhabitants live below the absolute poverty threshold of less than one dollar per day. Approximately two thirds of the country, which is about half the size of the Federal Republic of Germany, belongs to the climatically fragile Sahel zone. Resources are scarce and population growth high, at 2.4 % per annum

The Senegalese Government has declared poverty reduction to be its foremost political goal. Yet despite the macroeconomic stability of recent years, no breakthrough has been achieved in reducing poverty. The gulf that separates the urban and rural populations is in fact widening. The extensive rural exodus is spawning steadily worsening, unregulated urbanisation and high unemployment. In the south of the country, rebellion and armed conflict have exacerbated poverty.

Since 2003 reforms have been put in place to ensure the more effective design and implementation of policies aimed at reducing poverty. The framework of reference is the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP), initially produced in 2002 and updated in 2005 and 2010. The most recent version of the PRSP focuses more on accelerating economic growth. Another priority of reforms is to modernise the public finance system in order to improve planning and ensure that public resources, including external financing, are used more effectively.

GTZ – Partner the Future. In Senegal and Worldwide

GTZ activities are in line with the Senegalese Poverty Reduction Strategy, and as such focus on the three priority areas of German-Senegalese development cooperation:

• Support for decentralisation and local development, taking into account the need to build peace in the Casamance
• Sustainable economic development
• Renewable energies and energy efficiency.

GTZ supports the reform processes of the Senegalese Government in these areas.  As well as delivering advisory services on sector policy, specific measures are being implemented at regional and local level, in particular in the regions of Kaolack and Fatick, in the Casamance and the Greater Dakar region. Great importance is attached to dovetailing technical cooperation with the financial cooperation measures of KfW Entwicklungsbank. Since 2005 GTZ has shared an office with the KfW regional representation. We also work closely with the Centre for International Migration and Development (CIM), which currently has three experts working in Senegal.

In addition to the priority areas, GTZ is delivering advisory services to the Senegalese Ministry of Economics and Finance in matters of pro-poor economic and finance policy. We are supporting a regional approach to sustainable fishery management off the West African coast. The fight against HIV/AIDS is also an element that is incorporated in all GTZ projects and programmes.

GTZ additionally works on behalf of international organisations. GTZ International Services, which maintains its West Africa Office in Dakar, is responsible for these contracts.