Senegal’s journey into the future

The World Bank has described Senegal as "one of the most stable countries in Africa". It has had peaceful democratic transfers of power between rival parties since 2000. With little worry of war, Senegal has been able to focus on strong socio-economic development. Launched in 2014, the Plan for an Emerging Senegal (PES) helps to guide the country's modernization, with a strong focus on infrastructure governance.

As in many African countries, a big barrier to Senegal's development is energy scarcity. While urban residents generally have reliable access to energy, the Green Climate Fund estimated, in 2020, that 58 per cent of people in rural regions had none. Largely dependent on liquid fuels, such as diesel, Senegal has some of the highest power-generation costs in Africa. "The continent's progress on infrastructure is real, but the challenges are also real," Senegal's president, Macky Sall, said in February 2023.

The PES includes the ambitious aim of universal electricity access by 2025. The 158.7 megawatt Taiba N'Diaye wind farm opened in 2021 and generates a sixth of Senegal's power. It's also an important part of diversifying the country's energy sources.

Addressing urban challenges

Dakar, Senegal's crowded capital, is home to 3.3 million people and gains another 100,000 every year. Moving people around the city is a challenge. Electric buses, planned for 2023, will help to reduce congestion and pollution. And in 2021, Senegal launched the Dakar regional express train (TER), the first high-speed train in West Africa, which serves tens of thousands of commuters every day. "Until now, if I wanted to get around Dakar, I had to rely on overcrowded and unsafe minibuses," journalist Mady Camara told The New York Times. During the week, many of the TER's passengers commute between Dakar and the brand-new futuristic city of Diamniadio, about 35 kilometres away. At weekends, football fans ride the train to watch matches in the Diamniadio Olympic Stadium, a 50,000-seat, state-of-the-art football arena, which opened in February 2022 and will be the main venue for the 2026 Summer Youth Olympic Games.

Culture is not being left behind

The sprawling Museum of Black Civilizations, which TIME magazine called "one of the World's 100 Greatest Places of 2019", is attracting international visitors to Dakar. Also, the futuristic Bët-bi museum, set to open in Kaolack, in west-central Senegal, in 2025, will show contemporary and historical African art. Architect Mariam Issoufou Kamara told Wallpaper magazine: "It is a chance to push the boundaries of what defines a museum in the 21st century."

Be it energy projects, improved transportation or museum openings, Senegal's ambitious development strategy is pushing the country forwards on the road to economic emergence.