This blog is the first in a series that looks at doing business in West Africa. The initial series will look at doing business in a number of countries in West Africa focusing on doing business in each of the countries. The next set of series will look at the agriculture industry in each of the countries and then will focus on the distribution systems for agriculture products in the countries.

Business in Senegal

Senegal is a country with great potential: It has a young and dynamic population, natural resources, and a strategic location at the western tip of Africa. Most companies in Senegal are informal and working below their productivity potential. Only 6 % of the firms in Senegal have five employees or more. The share of formal firms with 5 employees or more is about 1.3 % of the total number of firms.

Senegal's capital city of Dakar is located on the westernmost point of Africa, Dakar has become an aviation hub for West Africa, with bi-weekly direct Delta Airlines flights to New York City, and connections with multiple locations in Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. Air Senegal, owned by a branch of the Senegalese government, was launched in 2016 and commenced flights from Blaise Diagne International Airport, to regional destinations in April 2018. I went on their flight that goes from BWI airport in Baltimore, MD to New York and then Senegal but the section of the flight from BWI will be ending January 22, 2023.

Senegal, has a relatively advanced telecommunications infrastructure with approximately 16.5 million cell phone accounts and 361,000 landlines for roughly 17 million inhabitants. Mobile phone penetration reached 104% in 2019, while internet access is approximately 75 percent. As new transportation and energy infrastructure comes online and the petroleum industry develops, Senegal is on track to become an engine of economic growth for the region.

Several areas of concern I noted were in transportation, at least in Dakar. Most of the public buses I saw were pretty dirty and especially during rush hour seemed to be very full and pretty inadequate, and both the taxis and buses were spewing a lot of black smoke adding to pollution. The Senegalese government built a commuter train though on the other hand, the train system that. and roads especially in the neighborhoods. The city of Dakar and other parts of Senegal still use carts drawn by horses for transporting goods and people. The carts are mainly used in the neighborhoods. Goods are also delivered by motorcycle.

The main hub roads in Dakar are well maintained but the roads in the neighborhoods depending on the areas are not well tarred and become difficult to navigate during the rainy season. A lot of construction of houses and businesses is going on especially in Dakar but planning for parking and sidewalks does not seem to be part of the planning when construction is being planned especially with apartments. There is a lot of knocking down of old buildings to erect new buildings instead of cutting down on costs and being more sustainable by renovating the old buildings.

Resources

Air Senegal

Transport in Senegal - Wikipedia