The World Bank today approved an amount of $200 million in IDA* financing to support the third phase of the Food Systems Resilience Program (FSRP-3) to increase preparedness against food insecurity and improve the resilience of food systems in Senegal. Some 600,000 people - 40% of whom will be women - including crop and livestock farmers, small-sale producers and processors, and members of agricultural micro enterprises will directly benefit from the new program. Additional beneficiaries include financial service providers, as well as public and private institutions.
Senegal is one of the fastest-growing economies in West Africa. However, its strong economic performance over the last decade did not result in significant poverty reduction, facing multiple and diverse shocks including higher energy, fertilizer, and food prices. Despite the potential to substitute imports with local production, the country remains a net importer of food, like many others in the region, and needs actions to ensure food security for its population. "FSRP-3 offers a unique opportunity to address key drivers of food insecurity in Senegal and build the resilience of its food systems", said Chakib Jenane, World Bank's Regional Director for Sustainable Development. "It will help address factors constraining sustainable production, productivity, and competitiveness, while fostering climate adaptation and mitigation".
Most specifically, FSRP-3 will help establish digital advisory services to enhance the effectiveness of agriculture and food crises prevention and management, and to strengthen the capacities to adapt to climate change. It will also strengthen Senegal's agricultural research systems and its policy environment for landscape governance, as well as an integrated management to improve food production, provision of ecosystem services, protection of biodiversity, and local livelihoods. Support will be made available for regional food market and trade integration that will facilitate the trade of agricultural goods and inputs within and across national borders in West Africa.
Senegal has the potential to make important progress in supplying domestic and regional markets and could gain greater regional market share for its main agricultural products. "By virtue of its size, strategic geographical location at the intersection of trade corridors in the region, and its dynamic pool of experts and agricultural research institutions, Senegal can play a critical role in building food systems' resilience in the region", said Boutheina Guermazi, World Bank's Director for Regional Integration for Africa and the Middle East. "Removing barriers to food trade, investing in regional trade facilitation, and enabling the free flow of capital across borders is essential for building resilient regional food systems".
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
FSRP-3 is part of a broader multiphase program launched in 2021 to help combat food insecurity in West Africa. The program involves the participation of regional institutions -such as the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the Permanent Interstate Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS), and the West and Central Africa Council for Agriculture Research and Development (CORAF)--and offers a platform for partnerships with many other institutions.
FSRP-3 brings the total of World Bank financing to the program to $895 million. Participating countries include Burkina Faso, Chad, Ghana, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo.
* The World Bank's International Development Association (IDA), established in 1960, helps the world's poorest countries by providing grants and low to zero-interest loans for projects and programs that boost economic growth, reduce poverty, and improve poor people's lives. IDA is one of the largest sources of assistance for the world's 77 poorest countries, 39 of which are in Africa. Resources from IDA bring positive change to the 1.5 billion people who live in IDA countries. Since 1960, IDA has supported development work in 113 countries. Annual commitments have averaged about $18 billion over the last three years, with about 54 percent going to Africa.
