From Isolation to Integration? A Study of Chinese Retailers in Dakar

The document examines the growth of a Chinese retail community in Dakar, Senegal, since the late 1990s. It details how Chinese migrants, many former employees of Henan Construction, occupied the residential area of Le Centenaire by renting front yards from financially struggling Senegalese civil servants. This created a commercial hub that provided affordable goods to the local population but sparked conflict with established Senegalese retailers, leading to a major strike in 2004. The paper highlights the disconnect between these independent retailers and the Chinese embassy, the emergence of a parallel informal market of Senegalese 'table retailers', and the eventual creation of an independent Chinese chamber of commerce to manage community interests.

• Since the late 1990s, Chinese migration to Senegal has increased, with thousands of Chinese now living in the country. In Dakar, these retailers concentrated along the Boulevard Général de Gaulle and Peterson Avenue, with approximately 195 shops counted in August 2009.
• The transformation of Le Centenaire from a prestigious residential zone for civil servants into a Chinese market venue was driven by the financial decline of original residents—exacerbated by the 1994 CFA franc devaluation—and the opportunistic arrival of Chinese workers, many from Henan Province, who undercut local prices using better supply networks.
• Chinese retailers gained popularity by selling low-cost, locally adapted products, including items for Muslim religious festivities like Korité and the Magal of Touba, which increased the purchasing power of poorer Senegalese but displaced established local retailers.
• Tensions between Chinese and Senegalese retailers culminated in a major strike in 2004 organized by UNACOIS, which sought the expulsion of Chinese retailers to restore the previous economic order. While the Association of Senegalese Customers (ASCOSEN) countered this by defending the affordable Chinese goods, the government remained hesitant to intervene due to the lack of economic alternatives for the poor.
• A significant divide exists between independent Chinese retailers and the Chinese embassy in Dakar. Retailers felt the embassy's 'technocrats from the north' despised them and ignored their problems, leading the community to establish the Senegal Chinese Business Association under the leadership of Qian George to remain independent of official diplomatic channels.
• The presence of Chinese shops fostered a secondary informal market of Senegalese 'table retailers' (bana-bana) who buy wholesale from the Chinese. This has led to urban decay and noise in Le Centenaire, causing residents to campaign for the removal of the informal market, though the government fears a repeat of the 2007 riots that occurred during a city 'clean up' for an Islamic Conference.

APA

Dittgen, R. (2010). From Isolation to Integration? A Study of Chinese Retailers in Dakar. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Occasional-Paper-57.pdf

Chicago

Dittgen, Romain. From Isolation to Integration? A Study of Chinese Retailers in Dakar. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2010. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Occasional-Paper-57.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Dittgen |first1=Romain |title=From Isolation to Integration? A Study of Chinese Retailers in Dakar |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=March 2010 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Occasional-Paper-57.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{dittgen2010from, author = {Dittgen, Romain}, title = {{From Isolation to Integration? A Study of Chinese Retailers in Dakar}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2010}, month = mar, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Occasional-Paper-57.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }