Climate Change Adaptation in Senegal: Strategies, Initiatives, and Practices

This research paper examines the status of climate change adaptation in Senegal, highlighting the country's high vulnerability due to its geography and the gaps between national top-down strategies and the needs of local communities. It advocates for a shift toward Locally Led Adaptation (LLA) to improve resilience and ensure equitable access to climate finance.

• Senegal is highly vulnerable to climate change because of its location in the Sahelian zone and its extensive coastline. Environmental degradation, including deforestation, salinisation, and soil erosion, is weakening production systems in a country already facing socio-economic fragility.
• Climate change poses a significant threat to Senegal's economy, particularly in agriculture, livestock, and fisheries. Projections from the Ministry of the Economy, Finance, and Planning suggest that a temperature increase of 1°C to 2°C by 2050 could result in a productivity drop of approximately 25%.
• The Senegalese government has integrated climate adaptation into the Senegal Emerging Plan (PSE) for 2035 and the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC). While fisheries and livestock have finalized national adaptation plans, other sectors like agriculture, health, and infrastructure are conducting vulnerability studies in five regions: Ziguinchor, Kédougou, Kaffrine, Matam, and Saint-Louis.
• Climate finance in Senegal is primarily driven by the state budget and multilateral grants, with the Global Environment Fund (GEF) being the largest multilateral provider, awarding USD 473.04 million across 94 projects. Specific funding under the PSE 2014-2018 included USD 412.5 million for family farming and USD 386.4 million for water and sanitation.
• There is a significant gap in climate finance access for local authorities and communities due to a lack of capacity to develop fundable projects. To address this, the National Plan for Local Development (PNDL) and the Centre for Ecological Monitoring (CSE) are working on capacity building for climate risk management.
• Current climate action in Senegal is criticized for being too top-down, with a lack of integration of local and endogenous knowledge into national policies. The paper identifies several barriers, including poor integration of climate risks in sectoral planning and the absence of a performance monitoring system like MRV (Monitoring, Reporting, Verifying).
• The document advocates for Locally Led Adaptation (LLA), where local stakeholders set their own agendas and manage funding. This approach is presented as a way to unlock community creativity and ensure that adaptation technologies are appropriate for local needs.

APA

Sy, I. (2022). Climate Change Adaptation in Senegal: Strategies, Initiatives, and Practices. Africa Policy Research Institute. https://afripoli.org/climate-change-adaptation-in-senegal-strategies-initiatives-and-practices

Chicago

Sy, Ibrahima. Climate Change Adaptation in Senegal: Strategies, Initiatives, and Practices. Africa Policy Research Institute, 2022. https://afripoli.org/climate-change-adaptation-in-senegal-strategies-initiatives-and-practices.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Sy |first1=Ibrahima |title=Climate Change Adaptation in Senegal: Strategies, Initiatives, and Practices |publisher=Africa Policy Research Institute |date=10 October 2022 |url=https://afripoli.org/climate-change-adaptation-in-senegal-strategies-initiatives-and-practices |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{sy2022climate, author = {Sy, Ibrahima}, title = {{Climate Change Adaptation in Senegal: Strategies, Initiatives, and Practices}}, institution = {Africa Policy Research Institute}, year = {2022}, month = oct, url = {https://afripoli.org/climate-change-adaptation-in-senegal-strategies-initiatives-and-practices}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }