U.S. assistance improves health, education, and democratic processes in Senegal
Agriculture and Food Security
The Government’s growing investment in agriculture (more than 10 percent of GDP per year) has opened the door for stronger, resilient food security. In 2009, the country finalized its Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program investment plan, setting a long-term vision for agricultural development as the primary driver of the country’s economic growth. Through Feed the Future, we work with the Government to promote economic growth focusing on four key agricultural products: rice, maize, millet, and fish. Our programs improve productivity, harvest and collection, processing and delivery. Looking toward long-term needs, we also strengthen higher education and agricultural research institutions as well as encourage policies that enable private-sector investment.
Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance
In the run-up to Senegal’s 2012 presidential elections, Senegalese civil society and USAID-supported international and domestic election observation, as well as assistance to electoral management bodies and the election oversight committee, helped to shine a bright light on the electoral process and prevent the occurrence of widespread fraud or tampering. With a fair and credible election, Senegal reinforced its status as the vanguard of West African democracy, servings as an example to other African nations. President Mackey Sall has committed to strengthening the independence of key political institutions and pursuing numerous reforms, including a negotiated settlement of the decades-old rebellion in Casamance. We coordinate with other members of the international community to continue to support the realization of these reforms and the consolidation of Senegalese democracy.
We also integrate principles of good governance into all of our activities to promote government-wide transparency and accountability. Our work is aligned with the Government’s National Program for Good Governance, including commitments to control corruption, improve service delivery and accountability, and protect human rights.
Education
In the past decade, Senegal has made strides in achieving universal access to education, increasing primary school enrollment rates to 78 percent in 2012. Despite these accomplishments, more needs to be done to ensure all Senegalese children receive 10 years of quality education, especially girls and vulnerable children. Working with the Government, teachers, parents, students and businesses, we helped 500,000 children attend school, 300,000 of whom are girls; built or restored more than 100 schools; donated over 3 million textbooks; and provided internet access for 20,000 students. We have also worked with the Ministry of Education to establish higher-quality standards for education and a national curriculum that is sensitive to gender, ethnicity, and social standing.
Global Health
USAID and other donors have contributed to important health gains in country. Since 1990, child mortality has declined more than 40 percent, and in contrast to other countries in sub-Saharan Africa, Senegal’s adult HIV/AIDS rate has remained below 1 percent. In addition to fighting major diseases like malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS, we strengthen national and local health systems, support family planning programs to allow couples to have children when they want them and help communities plan and finance their own health services. Our health program puts quality health services within reach of the majority of Senegal’s people. With our support, Senegal will be the first country in Africa to adopt a continuous Demographic and Health Survey to supplement the traditional survey that takes place every five years.
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