Countries

Senegal

In Senegal, we work with social movements and coalitions of historically excluded communities to demand new or improved services for sanitation, flood-response, climate change and primary healthcare. We fostered powerful coalitions to support two citizens’ led agendas to improve: 1) sanitation, climate change and flood-response; and 2) healthcare, disability inclusion and gender equity.

Open Budget Survey Results

Public Participation

4

Budget Oversight

30

Transparency

40

View Results

Initiatives in Senegal

100,000

people with disabilities received COVID relief

880,000

informal settlement residents benefited from improved flood management and sanitation infrastructure

SPARK initiative

Senegal’s people with disabilities federation

Summary

We forged a powerful coalition of budget reform allies to support the Senegalese Federation of Associations of People with Disabilities in expanding access to the social protection and livelihood support for people with disabilities. The coalition found that people with disabilities were struggling to gain access to the government’s Equal Opportunity Card, which provides free healthcare, transportation, employment and other assistance to people with disabilities. They also found that those who did have access to the card, were struggling to enroll in benefits like the Universal Health Coverage plan or experiencing gaps in services due to delayed payments by the government to the insurance plan.

Impacts to date:

Facilitated access to services and benefits for more than 100,000 people with disabilities.
Helped 15,000 people with disabilities get access to Equal Opportunity Cards.
Influenced Senegalese government ministries to commit to improving programs focused on employment, vocational training, and social protection opportunities for people with disabilities.

Strengthening Public Accountability

Our Strengthening Public Accountability for Results and Knowledge (SPARK) program flips traditional public finance management work on its head by putting underserved communities at the center of budget advocacy.

Trusting social movements implies trusting the real people. With IBP’s work, we generated data that was meaningful to us and that was so powerful that government was obliged to respond. Using budgets as an instrument changes the nature and impact of our actions.

Madame Dieye, member of the Senegalese Federation of Associations of People with Disabilities. Tweet

1,025

The number of people who participated in a collaborative study to shed light on the structural marginalization people with disabilities face. Coupled with budget data, the study incentivized decision-makers to better support the disability community.

SPARK initiative

Senegal’s informal settlement residents

Summary

We forged a powerful coalition of budget reform allies to support two community groups—UrbaSEN and the Federation of Senegalese Inhabitants—which brings together women’s movements in informal settlements to improve flood mitigation and sanitation facilities for residents. The Senegalese government enacted an ambitious initiative, the Ten Cities Program, which connects households to the sewage system at a subsidized rate and builds toilets in public areas. However, our coalition found that hundreds of thousands of residents were not benefiting because only those households that pay a subscription to the water provision and management company were included and most informal settlement residents cannot afford the subscription fee even when it is subsidized.

Impacts to date:

Leveraged social audits to shine a light on how many residents were excluded from the program.
Pushed for sanitation and flood management policies to be gender responsive and pro-poor.
Participated in developing the government’s 10 year investment plan for flood management.
Improved flood management and sanitation infrastructure for 880,000 informal settlement residents.
Ensured that 20 kilometers of the 28 kilometer public sanitation network in Pikine, Guediawaye and Ker Massar were rehabilitated, cleaned, and prepared to evacuate rainwater.

Strengthening Public Accountability

We now have the opportunity to discuss with key decision-makers that have always been inaccessible for us and voice our concerns. The results we have achieved give us hope that one day we can live in decent homes with proper sanitation.

Aissata Talla, President of the Senegalese Federation of Inhabitants Tweet

The number of women members of the Senegalese Federation of Inhabitants who became municipal councilors in informal settlements as a result of budget mentoring and training. They are now actively influencing budgets in favor of the needs of informal settlement dwellers.

Tax Equity Initiative

Summary

In Senegal, we are strengthening connections and impact among civil society groups and other stakeholders to advocate for greater equity in Senegal’s tax system.

Impacts to date:

Launched the “Senegalese initiative on Tax justice” in relation with the Tax administration, civil society, the private sector, academics, youth and women’s organizations on key issues like digital taxation, local taxation and tax expenditures.
Trained local elected officials to promote tax justice reforms.
Established a working group on gender and tax equity.
Organized civil society organizations in a Senegalese initiative for Tax Justice

Tax Equity

Our tax equity initiative focuses on helping civil society build ties with diverse actors to influence domestic tax reform, so that the revenue reaped benefits the many rather than favoring a few.

Francophone Africa Initiative

Summary

Our Francophone Africa Initiative is building up a diverse network of groups in West and Central Africa. With 14 organizations from nine countries, it is the largest network of budget organizations in the region. To support their organizational effectiveness, we regranted half of the program’s budget to the members. Between 2021 and 2022, 2,500 people have been trained in budget work and $270,000 has been disbursed in more than 10 grants to support budget advocacy.

Budget Credibility Initiative

Summary

Budget credibility refers to the extent to which a government's actual spending deviates from its approved budget. In Senegal, we are assessing spending patterns in three critical sectors: immunization, reproductive health and sanitation. The program seeks to understand the link between spending patterns and service delivery gaps, particularly to bolster the management of public funds in the sectors our grassroots partners have prioritized.