SENEGAL GREEN ECONOMY BAROMETER 2018

The Senegal Green Economy Barometer 2018 examines the country's shift toward a green economy, highlighting the tension between steady GDP growth (over 6.5% since 2015) and rising absolute poverty. It identifies key sectors for greening—specifically agriculture, energy, and SMEs—and evaluates the government's efforts to integrate environmental norms into the Emerging Senegal Plan (PSE) 2035. The report emphasizes that for the transition to be successful, it must address social inequalities and provide financial incentives for the private sector to adopt sustainable practices.

• Senegal has experienced steady economic growth, with GDP increasing by over 6.5% annually since 2015, driven by agriculture, tourism, and public investment via the Emerging Senegal Plan (PSE) running until 2035. However, this growth has not kept pace with demographic increases, leading the number of people considered 'poor' to rise from 5.7 to 6.3 million.
• The agricultural sector is highly vulnerable to climate change and desertification, with 75% of the population depending on rainfed agriculture. In northern Senegal, desertification has already caused a loss of fertile land equivalent to 5% of agricultural production, and future yields are predicted to drop by 5% to 25%.
• Senegal is expanding its renewable energy capacity through significant solar investments, including the Senergy 2 plant in Malicounda (20 MW) and a 30 MW plant in Santhiou Mékhé, which is described as the largest of its kind in West Africa.
• Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are critical for job creation but face significant barriers, including high energy costs, low capitalization, and a heavy concentration of industry in the Dakar region (90%).
• The government has implemented financial mechanisms to support the transition, such as the SUNREF project for energy efficiency and renewable energy, and funds like FONGIP, FONSIS, and BNDE, though the report notes that funding criteria need to be updated to explicitly include green economy references.
• To ensure a 'fair' transition, the government launched a $5 million joint programme with the UNDP in 2016 (Pacev) aiming to create 100,000 green jobs in agriculture, industry, and services to reduce unemployment among women and youth.

APA

Green Economy Coalition (2018). SENEGAL GREEN ECONOMY BAROMETER 2018. https://www.greeneconomycoalition.org/assets/reports/Barometers-2018/Senegal-GE-Barometer-2018-Final-WEB.pdf

Chicago

Green Economy Coalition. SENEGAL GREEN ECONOMY BAROMETER 2018. 2018. https://www.greeneconomycoalition.org/assets/reports/Barometers-2018/Senegal-GE-Barometer-2018-Final-WEB.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Green Economy Coalition |title=SENEGAL GREEN ECONOMY BAROMETER 2018 |date=2018 |url=https://www.greeneconomycoalition.org/assets/reports/Barometers-2018/Senegal-GE-Barometer-2018-Final-WEB.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{greeneconomycoalition2018senegal, author = {{Green Economy Coalition}}, title = {{SENEGAL GREEN ECONOMY BAROMETER 2018}}, institution = {Green Economy Coalition}, year = {2018}, url = {https://www.greeneconomycoalition.org/assets/reports/Barometers-2018/Senegal-GE-Barometer-2018-Final-WEB.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }