Is Senegal on the right track to achieve its NDC commitments?

Senegal's progress toward its NDC commitments is hindered by a severe lack of international climate finance, the absence of a national monitoring (MRV) system, and a strategic shift toward oil and gas exploitation that threatens its low-carbon goals. While the country has successfully implemented large-scale wind and solar projects and is developing green transport (BRT and TER), these are overshadowed by the $10 billion investment in hydrocarbons. The COVID-19 pandemic further delayed key projects and diverted budgetary resources toward immediate socioeconomic resilience.

• Senegal's implementation of its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) has been largely unsatisfactory, with significant bottlenecks including a shortfall in climate-focused funds and sectoral policies that do not fully incorporate NDC targets, which hinders the government's ability to measure progress.
• The discovery of oil and gas between 2014 and 2017 threatens to derail Senegal's low-carbon economy commitments. The government's 'gas-to-power' strategy is taking precedence over renewable energy expansion, and investments in the Sangomar and GTA fields (estimated at $10 billion) far outweigh recent climate-friendly investments.
• Senegal faces a massive funding gap for its NDC commitments. Of the $13 billion required by 2030 ($8.7 billion for mitigation and $4.3 billion for adaptation), only 1.15% ($149.56 million) has been approved by the five main multilateral funds since 2015.
• The COVID-19 pandemic caused delays in climate adaptation and mitigation projects. For example, the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project reached only 37% implementation by September 2021, compared to a target of 65%. The government's $2 billion Socioeconomic Resilience Plan (PRES) prioritized immediate health and economic stability over climate action.
• Senegal has made progress in renewable energy and sustainable transport. The Taïba Ndiaye wind plant (158MW) is the largest in West Africa, and the government aims for renewables to represent 31.8% of production capacity by 2030. Additionally, the TER and BRT projects are expected to reduce CO2 emissions, with the BRT projected to decrease 219,825 tCO2 by 2030.
• The country lacks a comprehensive national Measurement, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) system. While a 2019 study identified a carbon tax as the most relevant instrument for Senegal, no tangible national or sectoral MRV systems currently exist to track emissions and progress.

APA

Ly, A. (n.d.). Is Senegal on the right track to achieve its NDC commitments? South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/SAIIA_CoMPRA_PI_15_IsSenegal.pdf

Chicago

Ly, Ahmadou. Is Senegal on the right track to achieve its NDC commitments? South African Institute of International Affairs, n.d. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/SAIIA_CoMPRA_PI_15_IsSenegal.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Ly |first1=Ahmadou |title=Is Senegal on the right track to achieve its NDC commitments? |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/SAIIA_CoMPRA_PI_15_IsSenegal.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{lyndsenegal, author = {Ly, Ahmadou}, title = {{Is Senegal on the right track to achieve its NDC commitments?}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/SAIIA_CoMPRA_PI_15_IsSenegal.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }