Senegal recorded its first positive case of COVID-19 on March 02, 2020. The first cases of the pandemic were recorded in the region of Dakar followed by the city of Touba before spreading to other regions. The least affected regions were the Northeast and Southeast (Matam, Kédougou, TAMBA). Urban areas were heavily affected while rural areas were relatively spared. Dakar region remained the epicentre of the epidemic with over 62% of cases detected, followed by the region of Diourbel (Touba). All regions of Senegal have been affected by the pandemic, which has had health, economic and financial repercussions.
To follow the pandemic evolution, visit the Ministry of Health and Social Action website (https://sante.sec.gouv.sn/)
In response to COVID-19, the Government of Senegal has taken significant emergency measures to stop the spread of the disease, support the most vulnerable households and businesses, and mitigate the economic and social impact of the pandemic. As a result, the Economic and Social Resilience Plan (ESRP) was implemented. Endowed with a fund called FORCECOVID-19 amounting to 1000 billion FCFA, or 7% of GDP, it has made it possible to cover the health sector, water and electricity bills, allocate financial resources to the diaspora and solidarity kits to vulnerable households hard hit by the crisis.
At the economic level, the private sector was able to benefit from a partial remission of the tax debt. Strong measures have been taken to support businesses and preserve jobs in order to safeguard their productive capacities. The second priority action plan of the Plan Sénégal Emergent (PAP 2/PSE) (https://economie.gouv.sn/en/articles/29-09-2020/conseil-presidential-sur-la-relance-economique-papii-ajusteaccelere-pap2a), oriented towards the recovery of the economy, has been revised.
The pillars of PAP 2/PSE are:
- “Reducing external dependence through sustainable and inclusive industrialization”
- “Accelerating food, health and pharmaceutical sovereignty”
- “Strengthening social protection for greater resilience”
- “Increased private sector capacity in the economy”
PAP 2/PSE is also based on:
- Intensive, abundant and resilient agriculture
- An inclusive health system
- A successful education system
- A strong national private sector
- Strengthening social protection, industrial transformation and the digital economy.