The EU supports a modern civil registry that is accessible to all
Since 2020, the European Union has been supporting Senegal through the Support Programme for the Strengthening of the Civil Registry Information System and the Consolidation of a National Biometric Identity File (PARSIEC), better known as NEKKAL. The objective is clear: to make citizen registration simpler, faster and more secure, by facilitating the provision of and access to civil status services.

Digitalisation and awareness-raising: NEKKAL’s key actions
To modernise civil status and reach as many citizens as possible, the EU is deploying several concrete actions:

• Digitalisation of registers: Creation of a national biometric identity file connected to the computerised civil status system for more efficient management.
• Awareness-raising campaign: Launch of “My civil status, my citizenship!”, an initiative to inform and encourage the population to register their civil acts.
• Capacity building: Training of civil status officers, in partnership with CIVIPOL and ENABEL, to improve the quality and accessibility of the service.

A direct impact on citizens and institutions
By 2026, NEKKAL aims to:

• Increase the rate of registration of civil acts to guarantee access to fundamental rights.
• Secure civil status data and reduce document fraud.
• Improve the quality of public service, with trained staff and simplified access to identity documents.

EU's Green Mobility Initiative in Dakar
The EU, through its Global Gateway strategy, is investing in green urban mobility in Dakar to improve living conditions and promote a healthy environment. This includes supporting the restructuration of the public transport network of the city of Dakar, in particular the operationalization of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system.

Investing in Sustainable Public Transport
The EU is funding the acquisition of 120 electric buses for the BRT and 380 gas buses for feeder lines to the BRT and Regional Express Train (TER). The BRT will connect key areas in Dakar, aiming for 300,000 daily passengers.

Goals: Efficiency, Inclusion, and Sustainability
The BRT project, led by CETUD, aims to create an efficient, inclusive, reliable, and low-carbon mobility system. It will improve air quality, reduce emissions, and create over 1,300 local jobs.

Social Impact and Capacity Building
EU support through PROPARCO ensures the BRT operator, Dakar Mobilité, addresses gender-based violence risks and promotes women's employment. The project also includes training to professionalize existing urban mobility actors.

For more information, visit the CETUD website: https://www.cetud.sn/index.php/projets/brt-dakar

PACAO's Mission: Enhancing Sector Competitiveness and Job Creation
The West Africa Competitiveness Support Program (PACAO/WACOMP) is dedicated to strengthening the mango and onion sectors, alongside promoting ICT adoption. Its primary goals include boosting competitiveness and generating employment, particularly for youth and women, by fostering commercial cooperatives and supporting rural economic development.

ICT's Potential: Transforming Senegal's Agri-Food Sector
The integration of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) holds significant promise for enhancing the competitiveness of Senegal's mango and onion sectors. This technological advancement is crucial for driving economic growth and bolstering food security within the nation.

Collaborative Implementation: PACAO's Partnership Structure
PACAO facilitates access to crucial information on businesses, professions, training, and ICT opportunities. In Senegal, the program is implemented through a collaborative effort between the International Trade Centre (ITC) and key governmental bodies, including the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Livestock.

Team Europe's Support: Driving Agricultural and Digital Transformation
The EU and Team Europe, through programs like PACAO, provide comprehensive support to Senegal. Their objective is to stimulate agricultural sector development, enhance economic competitiveness, promote digital transformation, and ensure food security. This involves supporting agri-food production and processing, structuring producer organizations, facilitating credit access, and fostering successful agro-industrial companies, ultimately improving farmers' incomes and resilience.

Team Europe and Senegal together for the decontamination of the Hann Bay
The Hann Bay Decontamination Project is an emblematic project led by Team Europe (France, the Netherlands and the EU) and constitutes a flagship action of the environmental and social agenda of the EU in a country like Senegal where the health, ecological and economic consequences of air, water and soil pollution are raising growing concerns.In partnership with the National Sanitation Office of Senegal (ONAS), the EU is supporting the Hann Bay decontamination project, the first large-scale industrial decontamination operation in West Africa!

Infrastructural Solutions: Restoring Ecological Balance
The project aims to sustainably improve the ecological status of the bay and the living conditions of the populations by financing collection and treatment infrastructures before the effluents are discharged into the sea.

Sustainable Practices: Implementing the "Polluter Pays" Principle
The EU is also contributing to the environmental upgrading of the most polluting industrialists in the bay through technical and financial support for the installation of pre-treatment units for their wastewater. Indeed, the project is also a lever to advance the ongoing sectoral reform on industrial sanitation, in particular by introducing the "polluter pays" principle through a new industrial sanitation fee, which will be paid by all connected industrialists and the creation of a dissuasive pollution tax for industrialists in the event of non-connection.

RIPOSTES: Restoring Senegal's Lands
The RIPOSTES project - Resilience and Intensive Reforestation for the Safeguarding of Territories and Ecosystems in Senegal -  a pilot initiative within Senegal's Great Green Wall implementation, focuses on local land restoration and sustainable development in the Ferlo and Peanut Basin regions.

Community-Driven Restoration Efforts
The project supports local communities with reforestation, agroforestry, and sustainable economic activities. It builds capacity in land management, environmental governance, and women's leadership, exemplified by the Koyli Alpha Community Nature Reserve's success.

Innovation and Knowledge Sharing
RIPOSTES promotes innovative land restoration techniques and the valorization of non-wood forest products. It also capitalizes on good practices and lessons learned for wider dissemination within the Great Green Wall initiative.

If you want to know more about the Great Green Wall project in Senegal, consult the website of the Senegalese Agency for Reforestation and the Great Green Wall: https://asergmv.org/

EUR 218.6 million to boost local production
As part of the TEI MAV+ initiative, the EU, the European Investment Bank (EIB), Germany, Belgium, France and Luxembourg are investing 143 billion FCFA (EUR 218.6 million) to accelerate the local production of vaccines and medicines. Objective: to produce 50% of the needs for medicines and vaccines in Senegal by 2035.

Modern infrastructure to produce up to 300 million vaccines per year
Team Europe supports the MADIBA project, led by the Pasteur Institute of Dakar, for the construction of a vaccine hub in Diamniadio. This production site will make it possible to manufacture up to 300 million doses of vaccines per year, targeting neglected childhood and tropical diseases in particular.

A direct impact on employment and the local economy
In addition to strengthening access to affordable and effective vaccines and medicines, this initiative aims to stimulate economic growth, create decent jobs, diversify global value chains and facilitate market access for local companies.

Support to transform the pharmaceutical sector
The EU and Team Europe also support the Senegalese Government’s reforms and strategic actions to develop its pharmaceutical industry, in consultation with private players in the sector.