Senegal

<p>ITC and the Dutch Centre for the Promotion of Imports from developing countries (CBI) have been cooperating for decades. This cooperation led to a series of sector development programmes under the Netherlands Trust Fund NTF) since 2005. The current project is part of the NTF V programme funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of The Netherlands and implemented in close coordination with CBI. NTF V was approved in July 2021 and will run until June 2025. Its ambition is to contribute to building back better in the partner countries (Benin, C&ocirc;te d&apos;Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Mali, Senegal and Uganda) with a focus on creating a link between MSMEs in the digital technologies and agribusiness sectors.</p><p>Senegal has a high penetration rate of mobile phones (117%) and internet services (92.29%) and the mobile money market is experiencing strong growth with more and more major players (Orange Money, Wave). As of December 31, 2020, the country had 7.81 million Internet users, ie 46% of the total population. Unsurprisingly, Senegal has one of the highest shares of GDP linked to the digital economy according to McKinsey Global Institute, ranging from the telecommunications sector to startups active in the digital sector.</p><p>Under NTF V Senegal Tech, activities will foster business-friendly tech ecosystems, strengthen business support organizations such as tech hubs and equip tech start-ups and SMEs with resilient business models, linking them to business, partnership and investment opportunities while contributing to the digitalization of traditional SMEs in other sectors, in particular in agribusiness.&nbsp;</p><p>To this end, agritech start-ups will be supported to improve their understanding of agribusinesses&rsquo; needs, to gain more agribusinesses partners, and, in some instances, to help digitalize agribusinesses. Digitalizing agribusinesses will be done by the agribusiness team, working whenever possible with agritech businesses that are part of NTF V Senegal Tech project, in the cashew and associated crops sector, which will be the main focus area for both teams.</p>

<p>In September 2021, The Government of the Netherlands and the International Trade Centre (ITC) signed a four-year partnership agreement aimed at enhancing the trade competitiveness in selected African countries, through the strengthening of digital and agribusiness services and especially the connection between the two.</p><p>In Senegal, ITC will implement a value chain development project with the objective of improving the competitiveness of livelihood farmers and agribusiness MSMEs in the cashew nuts and associated crops. Cashew will be the main crop of focus, nevertheless the project will additionally support the commercialization of associated horticulture products (e.g. maize, cowpea, cassava/yam and vegetables) etc) following the A4A multi-products multi-market approach. The exact basket of associated horticultural products will be defined at the beginning of the project through the foreseen detailed cashew nuts value chain analysis that will be undertaken in collaboration with the University of Thies.&nbsp;</p><p>Through the project, ITC aims to promote more efficient and sustainable agri-business and support services that will lead to increased trade, better incomes and livelihoods opportunities, especially for the smallholder cashew growers.</p><p>The main objectives of the action in Senegal are:</p><ul><li>Understand market trends and identify resilient and sustainable business and production models for the cashew sector.</li><li>Strengthen Public-Private alliances to support the development of more solid ecosystems including through digital applications.&nbsp;</li><li>Facilitate linkages for SMEs, SEs and Producers Associations with international, regional and domestic partners, business and investment opportunities</li></ul><p>The agri-business component of NTF V in Senegal will apply the ITC Alliances for Action (A4A) approach that has proved to be a successful model to promote responsible partnerships for development, to leverage investments and technical support and achieve measurable impact for smallholder farmers and MSMEs. In the framework of NTF V, A4A will look beyond sustainable production to work on enabling environment and target all steps of the value chain from farm to fork. Digital application will be used to increase the overall competitiveness of the agribusiness value chain as well as to scale-up results and reach more partners and beneficiaries.</p>

<p>Le projet a pour objectif d&apos;appuyer la connexion aux march&eacute;s des jeunes entrepreneurs s&eacute;n&eacute;galais en leur faisant s&apos;approprier les techniques, outils et solutions disponibles dans leurs d&eacute;marches d&apos;internationalisation notamment au travers de solutions en ligne.Ce projet s&apos;inscrit dans le contexte du programme &quot;S&eacute;n&eacute;gal &eacute;mergent&quot;, du programme triennal d&rsquo;investissement prioritaire du S&eacute;n&eacute;gal (PTIP), ainsi que des programmes financ&eacute;s par des bailleurs internationaux tels que le programme &laquo; Netherlands Trust Fund IV &raquo; de la coop&eacute;ration n&eacute;erlandaise ou encore le 11^&egrave;me<span>&nbsp;</span>Fond Europ&eacute;en de D&eacute;veloppement (EDF 11) de l&rsquo;Union Europ&eacute;enne ainsi que dans le cadre du programme &quot;Jeunesse et commerce&quot; de l&apos;ITC.</p>

<p>The proposed project &ldquo;Textile and Apparel Network for Africa (TANA)&rdquo; forms part of the BMZ Special Initiative Training and Job Creation initiated by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) to contribute to the implementation of the Marshall Plan with Africa and the investment partnership G20 Compact with Africa.</p><p>The project aims at strengthening market linkages between European and African textile and apparel companies and consists of two components, which are financed by two different GIZ entities:</p><ul><li>Global component: Strengthened commercial relationships between European retailers and brands and African textile and apparel suppliers through the establishment of the the Textile and Apparel Network for Africa (TANA) - financed by GIZ HQ</li><li>Country component (pilot): Enhanced competitiveness of Ghanaian textile and apparel companies to meet buyer requirements - financed by GIZ Ghana office.</li></ul>

<p>This project is targeting women owned businesses (WOBs) in the Apparel, Accessories and Home D&eacute;cor sector from Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Senegal, and South Africa.<span>&nbsp;It</span> aims to support income generation and job creation for women owned businesses in the Apparel, Accessories and Home D&eacute;cor sector by:</p><ul type="disc"><li>Creating a more supportive ecosystem of partners and institutions to help the growth of women&apos;s economic empowerment initiatives and activities;</li><li>Increasing the competitiveness of women owned businesses in the sector;</li><li>Creating new market linkage<strong>&nbsp;</strong>opportunities for women owned businesses in the sector.</li></ul>

<p>The overall objective of the proposed project is to attract investment and promote trade and sustainable industrial and business development at continental level, concretely supporting the AfCFTA Secretariat and the African Union and delivering on the Africa-EU partnership for sustainable growth and jobs.&nbsp;</p><p>The project contributes to this objective by</p><ul><li>identifying trade and investment opportunities along regional value chains with potential at continental scale in Africa, including potential for investment by EU economic operators;</li><li>Strengthening the EU-Africa dialogue on trade and economic integration, informing high-level events such as the upcoming AU-EU Summit and European- African Business Forum (EABF)</li><li>identifying pilot/selected continental value chains that could be targeted for support in the EU 2021-27 aid programming exercise.</li></ul><p>It supports the implementation of the AfCFTA and ITC&apos;s One Trade Africa Initiative.</p>

<p>Pour le kit didactique, l&apos;ITC s&apos;appuiera sur un consultant sp&eacute;cialiste de la chaine de valeur de la tomate au s&eacute;n&eacute;gal qui d&eacute;veloppera avec les experts ITC le contenu du kit sur la base de consultations men&eacute;es avec les differents acteurs. La vid&eacute;o et le livret sera ensuite r&eacute;alis&eacute; par une entreprise de r&eacute;alisation de film.</p><p>Le guide de p&eacute;n&eacute;tration sera d&eacute;velopp&eacute; avec l&apos;appui de consultants nationaux charg&eacute;s d&apos;identifier les proc&eacute;dures et les r&eacute;gles pour exporter vers le march&eacute; am&eacute;ricain sous le r&acute;&euro;gime am&eacute;ricain. Un consultant am&eacute;ricain sera recrut&eacute; en parall&egrave;le pour identifier les circuits de distribution des produits s&eacute;lectionn&eacute;s.</p>

<p>ITC will contribute to an improved job potential through the generation of investment leads with European investors interested in investing into the partner countries of the Special Initiative (SI) for Training and Job Creation, which has been initiated by the Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).</p><p>The overall objective of this project is to bring in non-financial European company investors into a joint project development process aiming to mobilize and to support the realization of private investment in the partner countries of the SI in order to create jobs. These investor companies aim to create sustainable jobs through green and brownfield investments in the target countries. The investment leads faciliated should have a particular potential to create jobs for women and youth.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The West Africa Competitiveness Support Program (WACOMP) in Senegal is implemented by the International Trade Centre (ITC), in partnership with the Ministry of Trade and Small and Medium Enterprises of Senegal. WACOMP Senegal aims to support and strengthen the competitiveness of MSMEs in regional and international markets.</p><p>As the second largest economy in the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) after C&ocirc;te d&apos;Ivoire, Senegal&apos;s main challenges include stabilising its trade balance, which remains in deficit, diversifying its exports, and reducing its dependence on food imports. To meet these challenges and strengthen the country&rsquo;s competitiveness, the programme will focus on three strategic sectors to create sustainable employment in Senegal. These are mango, onion and information and communication technologies (ICT). Particular emphasis will be placed on the emergence of cooperative societies governed by the OHADA Uniform Act in order to contribute to the structuration of agriculture value chains and to facilitate access to financing for operators. As such, WACOMP Senegal contributes to the creation of sustainable jobs and income-generating activities. The program began in August 2020 and will run until April 2023.</p><p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>The inclusion of Senegal into the Digital Economy is a priority set out in the national development framework strategy, the Plan Senegal Emergent. In this context, the Senegal Num&eacute;rique 2025 strategy is meant to accelerate the roll out of internet infrastructure and of its usage. Moreover, the country has engaged into the construction of an ambitious technology park and is developing a tax-friendly policy to attract FDI in the sector. These efforts should leave to the creation of 35,000 jobs in Senegal&rsquo;s digital economy by 2025.</p><p>The purpose of the Netherlands Trust Fund Programme IV (NTF IV) in Senegal is to support the internationalisation of the local IT/ITES SMEs and startups through:</p><ol><li><p>strategic, inter-ministerial coordination, an IT &amp; ITES export-development strategy, and positioning of Senegal on the global IT &amp; ITES market;</p></li><li><p>the strengthening of OPTIC, the sector association, as a provider of export advisory and training benefiting its current and future members;</p></li><li><p>the capacity building of companies in export marketing planning and sales; mobilizing the Senegalese network of foreign trade representatives (FTR) to promote IT &amp; ITES trade opportunities to complement the work done in the area of investment promotion; and</p></li><li><p>the development of new markets jointly with Senegal&rsquo;s main TPO, ASEPEX, and OPTIC, using an approach already applied under NTF III in Bangladesh, Kenya and Uganda.</p></li></ol>