- Senegal secured nearly CFAF 1 trillion ($1.7 billion) in financing commitments to achieve universal electricity access by 2029.
- The government identified five priorities to connect 6,471 underserved localities and strengthen implementation of its National Energy Compact.
Senegal has secured nearly CFAF 1 trillion ($1.7 billion) in financing commitments to expand electricity access to every locality by 2029. The government announced the commitments during a national roundtable in Dakar, co-chaired by the Ministers of Energy and Petroleum, and Economy, Finance and Planning.
Development partners pledged CFAF 181 billion, approximately $320 million, while private sector participants committed CFAF 817 billion, or about $1.4 billion. The government estimates that electrifying communities without existing projects will require CFAF 400 billion, equivalent to $700 million.
Nearly One Million People Still Lack Electricity
Senegal recorded a national electricity access rate of 86.2% at the end of 2024. However, rural access stood at just 69.8%.
Of the country’s 25,725 localities, 12,683 already have electricity. Ongoing projects cover another 6,571 localities, while 6,471 communities remain without electricity. These underserved areas contain nearly one million people.
The National Energy Compact outlines several interventions to close the gap. These include extending medium- and low-voltage networks to approximately 3,978 localities.
The programme also targets solar mini-grids in 844 localities and standalone solar systems in 1,649 communities. It includes 27,000 household biodigesters and investments to improve the performance of national utility Senelec.
Government Identifies Five Implementation Priorities
Energy Minister Dr El Hadji Abdourahmane Diouf said the roundtable exceeded its objectives. “The challenge now is to translate these commitments into concrete actions to achieve universal electricity access by 2029,” he said. Diouf described the National Energy Compact as the framework for accelerating implementation, improving coordination and delivering measurable results.
Following the roundtable, the government and its Compact Delivery Unit reviewed implementation arrangements on October 7. Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) facilitated the session with support from the African Development Bank Group’s Africa Energy Sector Technical Assistance Program.
Participants agreed on five priorities for the next 12 months:
- Finalise and operationalise the Integrated Least-Cost Plan.
- Implement the National Clean Cooking Strategy 2025–2035.
- Strengthen private sector participation.
- Maintain electricity access monitoring tools and data systems.
- Improve project tracking, stakeholder coordination and resolution of implementation bottlenecks.
AfDB Pledges Continued Technical Support
Wale Shonibare, Director of Energy Financial Solutions, Policy and Regulation at the African Development Bank Group, reaffirmed the bank’s support for Senegal’s electricity access ambition. He said the bank would provide financing, technical expertise and assistance to support implementation.
Shonibare stressed the need to connect policy reforms, project preparation, resource mobilisation and monitoring. He said this approach would help convert financial commitments into actual electricity connections.
The Senegal workshop forms part of a wider regional initiative. Previous editions took place in Kenya, Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire, while Botswana and Sierra Leone will host the remaining sessions.