Senegal: the directors of the African Development Bank listening to civil society and the private sector.

AfDB NEWS & EVENTS

21-Feb-2020

The directors of the African Development Bank met this Thursday with stakeholders from the private sector and Senegalese civil society.

The first exchanges took place, among others, with the National Confederation of Workers of Senegal - Forces du Change (Cnts-Fc), the Council of NGOs for Development (Congad), the National Youth Council and organizations of people with disabilities.

Pape Diallo, of the commission for monitoring public policies, called on the Bank to support the revival of the railway in favor of economic growth and the connection of territories, the development of schools, the creation of jobs and the socio-economic conditions of vulnerable groups.

The president of the federation of disabled people, Yatma Fall, wanted the ergonomics of the infrastructures financed by the Bank to take better account of their mobility difficulties. The demand for more jobs for young people was brought by the representative of the National Youth Council, in line with the “Jobs for young people” program of the Bank within the strategic framework of “High 5”.

The spokesperson of the administrators, Saïd Maherzi, hailing the richness of the interventions, acknowledged that taking disability into account in projects was very important. "The Bank organized the Civil Society Forum" for better dialogue and so that "people affected by the projects have a recourse mechanism," explained the administrator, Catherine Cudré-Mauroux.

In a second discussion, representatives of the private sector called in particular for more accessible information on the financing possibilities offered by the Bank. The private sector was represented, among others, by the Mouvement des entreprises du Sénégal (Meds), the National Employers Council of Senegal and a women-owned investment fund, Women investment capital (WIC). The president of the High Council for Social Dialogue, Innocence Ntab Ndiaye, was also present.

The representative of WIC praised the AFAWA initiative for the financing of women while Mor Talla Kane, executive director of CNES recognized "all the efforts made by the Bank for the accompaniment of States" as well as "the quality of the studies which are used by private actors ”.

Bank Executive Director for West Africa, Marie-Laure Akin-Olugbare, noted that the Bank regularly organizes seminars on business opportunities for the private sector. The opportunities offered by the Africa Investment Forum and the Bank's guarantee mechanism were also presented.

Directors also highlighted the role of the Senegalese private sector in creating jobs for young Africans, taking into account the needs of a healthy business environment and support.