Retro-ECO: 2021, a year of strikes, new programs and promises...

The 2021 eco report is less than rosy: inflation and multi-sector strikes have meshed a picture which, however, is not so bleak as that, since programs have been initiated to reduce youth unemployment, stimulate a new dynamics of development in certain areas of the country. The TER which is running at the end of the year and the new resolutions resulting from the presidential council on the exploitation of hydrocarbons bode well for hope.

On April 22, 2021, President Macky Sall chaired a Presidential Council at Cicad on the integration and employment of young people. The Head of State validated the Emergency Program for Employment and Socio-economic Integration of young people and asked the government to finalize it before April 30.

“I validate the Emergency Program for Youth Employment and Socio-economic Integration, XËYU NDAW ÑI, subject to the integration of the relevant observations raised by the participants. In this regard, I instruct the government to finalize the said program before April 30, 2021,” said Macky Sall, closing the Presidential Council on Youth Employment and Socio-Economic Integration.

He announced that from May, the recruitment of 65,000 young people will start throughout the national territory, insisting on compliance with the “requirements” of inclusion and territorial equity.

“A special quota will be reserved for the recruitment of 5,000 teachers for preschool, primary, middle and secondary education, including modern daaras and Arabic education,” he said.

Economic tours

President Macky Sall has resumed his economic tours this year. Thus during the months of May, June and July, the Head of State was in the North of Senegal (regions of Saint-Louis and Matam), in the regions of Louga, Kolda, Sédhiou and Ziguinchor and those of Kaffrine and Kédougou, with stopovers in Tambacounda and Kaolack in order to assess the public investments made and initiate new territorial development programs.

Africa at the heart of the summits Although the year was marked by a pandemic, major summits took place on the continent. Among these are the China-Africa summit held in Senegal, the summit on financing African economies which took place in Paris and which was attended by many African leaders among the approximately 30 heads of state present in May.

In October, hundreds of young African entrepreneurs, civil rights activists and activists gathered in Montpellier for an Africa-France Summit.

In November, African leaders at the COP26 climate summit called on wealthy nations to take more action. It is incumbent on the big emitters to revise their ambitions upwards and drastically reduce their emissions.

In the midst of the post-covid-19 economic recovery, the boss of the IMF met with Presidents Macky Sall and Félix Tshisekedi. It was particularly expected on the subject of the $100 billion promised to developing countries, and that of Africa's vaccine strategy.

Kristalina Goergieva, Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) visited Senegal and the DRC.

During her visit, the official met with Presidents Macky Sall and Félix Tshisekedi. “Highlights of the visit will include meetings with Presidents Tshisekedi and Sall, engagements with policymakers and civil society, and a visit to the Pasteur Institute in Dakar,” says Rice.

This visit comes at a time when the economic recovery of African countries following the consequences of covid-19 is still suffering from a lack of financing. Following the allocation of $650 billion in special drawing rights (SDRs) to facilitate global recovery, the IMF had made commitments to developing countries, particularly in Africa, so that their share of this financing would reach $100 billion. dollars, following a principle of solidarity on the part of the richest. But nearly 4 months after the SDR issuances, only Canada, France, UK, Japan and China have publicly made commitments to this process.

In Dakar and Kinshasa, Ms. Georgieva discussed this subject with two of the most prominent heads of state on this issue. As early as 2020, President Macky Sall had indeed been one of the first African presidents to campaign for African debt relief and for greater support from international donors.

With Félix Tshisekedi, current president of the African Union (AU), the continent's vaccination strategy should be put on the table. The black continent is indeed the one with the least population vaccinated against covid-19, according to figures from Africa CDC. 7% of the continent's population have been fully immunized while 10% have received at least one dose of vaccine.

In addition to continuing negotiations to source anti-pandemic serums, the continent has embarked on a strategy to strengthen its vaccine production capacity. A strategy in which the Pasteur Institute of Dakar is also called upon to play a particular role, especially since Macky Sall will take over the presidency of the AU in 2022.

ARTP sanctions operators, several billion CFA francs at stake Orange, Expresso

The awareness-raising actions undertaken by the Senegalese regulator in recent months to maintain quality telecom services have not achieved the expected objectives. To get telecom companies more committed, he decided to crack down once again.

The Telecommunications and Posts Regulatory Authority (Artp) of Senegal has sanctioned the operators Sonatel, Expresso and SAGA Holding for poor quality of service. A total fine of 20,284,286,957 FCFA (about $35 million) was distributed. In a note published on Thursday, December 9, the telecoms regulator reveals that Sonatel, the subsidiary of the Orange telecoms group, will have to pay a fine of 16,727,712,422 FCFA excluding taxes against 1,028,466,443 FCFA for Expresso, a subsidiary of Sudatel, and 2,528,108,092 FCFA for Free.

Artp said that the sanction of the country's three main mobile operators follows "an extensive campaign to measure the quality of service and coverage of the 2G, 3G and 4G mobile networks operated by the operators. throughout the national territory (the 46 departments, the main roads, namely the RN1 to 7 and the Ila Touba and Dakar – Mbour highways). It was carried out from August 16 to November 10.

Since last year, the regulator has paid more attention to the quality of telecom services while the demand for connectivity has continued to increase. The number of Internet subscribers increased from 13,141,900 individuals as of June 30, 2020 to 15,418,058 as of June 30, 2021. Voice traffic increased from 2.30 billion minutes as of June 30, 2020 to 2.71 billion minutes as of June 30, 2021. Artp has multiplied actions to compel telecom operators to maintain the expected standards, in particular formal notices or the release of an Internet speed test application by consumers.

Artp points out that the penalty imposed on the three telecom operators complies with the “provisions of Law No. 2018-28 of December 12, 2018, on the Electronic Communications Code”

Strikes by bakers and transporters: the main victims

Triggered on Tuesday, November 9 for 72 renewable hours, the Senegalese bakers' strike weighs heavily on the population. Originally, the desire of bakers to increase the price of bread, which met with the categorical refusal of the Senegalese state. For bread workers, the price of a baguette from 150 FCFA must rise to 200 FCFA. But the state had said no. The Senegalese authorities finally gave in because of global inflation. On December 13, the Ministry of Commerce announced an increase in the price of bread in the Dakar region following the increase in the price of raw materials worldwide.

This decision was taken after a meeting between the Senegalese Ministry of Commerce and the Federation of Bakers who said that the increase in wheat prices causes them to suffer significant financial losses if the price of bread was not revised upwards. The two parties agreed to set the price of a loaf of bread between 150 and 175 F/CFA.

Carrier strike: A new unlimited slogan decreed

Senegalese transporters have started a strike movement that has paralyzed Dakar since December 1st. An unlimited strike that goes beyond the capital. They are calling for an end to “harassment by the police, customs, gendarmerie and the water and forest service, the arrests of drivers”.

But after a 24-hour strike that paralyzed the country's major cities, the Transporters' Union announced that it had issued a new strike slogan, this time unlimited. This until their requests are satisfied.

Senegalese transporters ended late Friday night from December 3 to Saturday December 4 after negotiations with Mansour Faye, Minister of Infrastructure, Land Transport and Access.

Opening of the 29th Dakar Fair: Twenty-nine nationalities present

The 29th edition of the International Fair of Dakar Fidak, officially opened its doors this Monday, December 06, 2021. With the theme: "Promoting agribusiness for sustainable economic and social development", the Republic of Pakistan is this year the country guest of honor of Fidak 29.

Toll motorway, fee: Senegal goes from 1000 FCFA to 800 million FCFA per year

Following a renegotiation of the toll motorway concession, the State of Senegal will take 25% of the capital of the Société Eiffage de la concession de l’autoroute de l’avenir (SECAA).

Thus, this renegotiation of the contract “will make it possible to have 13 billion, against 1,000 CFA francs per year”, with regard to the state fee for the highway. Indeed, "the state fee, which was hitherto 1,000 CFA francs per year, is now indexed to a fee of 2% of turnover, with a minimum of 800 million CFA francs", explained Budget and Finance Minister Abdoulaye Daouda Diallo.

Furthermore, the latter adds that “the contract binding the State of Senegal to the concessionaire of the toll motorway, SECAA, is extended by five years to end definitively in 2044. This, even if the duration initially scheduled for the contract was thirty years, 2009-2039″.

Despite everything, the revenue expected from the operation of this toll highway is estimated by the State of Senegal at 305.5 billion FCFA, said the Minister of Finance and Budget.

The regional express train put into service on December 27

The Regional Express Train (TER) was put into service on December 27th.

The train will take a 36 km route, from Dakar to Diamniadio. For the start of operation of the Ter, there is a fleet of 15 trains. Eleven (11) will start on December 27 and 2 will be in reserve and another train will be parked in Diamniadio. On the regularity, a train will be available every 10 minutes and it will be transported 15,000 passengers per day, with the final objective of conveying 115,000 per day.

As for train running, it starts at 5 a.m. and ends at 11 p.m. There will be 16 hours of traffic per day and the night will be dedicated to maintenance. The prices are between 500 francs for Thiaroye, 1,000 francs for Bargny and 1,500 francs for Diamniadio. Of the 1000 people who have been recruited for the operation, 984 are Senegalese. There are only 16 expats. Abdou Ndéné Sall recalls that the concentration of population traffic and activities in Dakar causes the country's economy to lose 110 billion a year. And if we do nothing for 8 years, we lose 880 billion and the TER costs 780 billion.

Presidential Council on the Bill for the Management of Oil and Gas Potential

In Senegal, the presidential council met in session on Tuesday, December 21 with a view to the adoption of the bill relating to the distribution and supervision of the management of revenue from oil exploitation and gas. An initiative that is part of the new phase of the process of economic and social emergence in the upcoming exploitation of the country's hydrocarbons.

Members of the government, representatives of the vital forces of the Nation, the political opposition, civil society, women's associations and youth organizations responded to these meetings chaired on Tuesday by President Macky Sall, at the Abdou Diouf International Conference Center (CICAD).