Co-funded by the European Union
Country Sheet 2016 Senegal
This document has been produced by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in the framework of the “Enhancing the sustainability of reintegration schemes for migrants returning to Morocco, Tunisia and Senegal from the EU” project co-funded by the European Union and the Italian Ministry of Interior. The opinions expressed in this document do not necessarily reflect the views of the International Organization for Migration, of the European Union or of the Italian Ministry of Interior. IOM and its partners will not be considered legally responsible for the accuracy, completeness or usefulness of any information in this document. The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout the document do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of IOM concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning its frontiers or boundaries. IOM accepts no responsibility for any conclusions or results which are based on information provided in this document. IOM is committed to the principle that humane and orderly migration benefits migrants and society. As an intergovernmental organization, IOM acts with its partners in the international community to: assist in meeting the operational challenges of migration; advance understanding of migration issues; encourage social and economic development through migration; and uphold the human dignity and well-being of migrants. This document has been issued without formal editing by IOM. International Organization for Migration (IOM) Mission in Italy with coordinating role for the Mediterranean Via L.G. Faravelli snc 00195, Rome E-mail:
[email protected] Internet: www.italy.iom.int
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Index
Introduction
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Section I - Employment, training and support programmes in Senegal
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Employment opportunities and services Training Support for the vulnerable and for communities Medical and psychosocial assistance Programmes for supporting vulnerable groups Local support organisations Microfinance and investment Section II – Reintegration opportunities Trade Tailor-made clothes Agriculture Livestock farming Beekeeping Transport Construction
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Section III - The reintegration assistance in practice
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Reintegration assistance and the payment process Documentation required More information?
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Introduction
This Country Sheet has been elaborated in the framework of the project entitled “Reinforcing the sustainability of the reintegration of migrants returning from the European Union to Morocco, Tunisia and Senegal” (Motuse), implemented by the IOM and co-financed by the European Union and the Italian Interior Ministry. This project is aimed at improving the reintegration of migrants returning to Morocco, Tunisia and Senegal from the European Union through a dual approach, consisting of direct and individual aid provided to returning migrants and strengthening the capabilities of the institutions and organisations effectively or potentially providing assistance to migrants returning to these three countries. Successful and sustainable reintegration begins with correctly preparing the migrants’ return and that is not possible without having clear and updated information concerning what awaits them in their countries of origin. The economic and political situation, sectors creating jobs and opportunities linked to activities generating revenue, may indeed have changed during the migrants’ absence and their stay in Europe. It is for this reason that, in order to better assist migrants to be prepared, many return counsellors - social assistants, officials, members of associations etc. – request information about the return context in the migrants’ countries of origin. This country sheet, part of a series of three focusing respectively on Morocco, Tunisia and Senegal, is therefore aimed at providing a degree of basic information concerning the economic context, training opportunities, funding possibilities or the existence of support programmes for the more vulnerable, among others. It also provides a number of avenues concerning generally viable reintegration projects on the basis of the IOM’s experts vast experience concerning reintegration in the countries named. It is intentionally brief and concrete and is aimed at providing indications directly usable by counsellors and by migrants once they have returned to their own countries. It is not instead aimed at being exhaustive. For more specific issues, migrants are encouraged to contact the IOM missions directly in the countries they are living in or in their countries of origin. Contact information for missions in countries of origin can be found in the last section of this document.
Last updated in August 2016
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Section I
Employment, training and support programmes in Senegal
COUNTRY SHEET
Employment opportunities and services The small and medium-sized business (SMB) sector constitutes one of the basic elements of Senegal’s economic fabric thanks to its contribution to the national economy. It plays an important role in Senegal’s economic and social development, employing over 60% of the working population. These companies provide powerful leverage in the battle against poverty, insecurity, unemployment and underemployment. Despite the important role they play, major restrictions are holding back their development. The sectors that mainly attract Senegalese entrepreneurs and that are flourishing are agriculture, agribusinesses, fishing, aquaculture, tourism, textiles, the social and economic sector, IT and communications technology, teleservices, cultural industries, arts and crafts, renewable energy, infrastructure and transport. Returning migrants generally invest in the sector they worked in before leaving, or trades one of their relatives may have suggested because they themselves have been successful in the sector, such as commerce, agriculture, livestock farming, fishing, fashion or transportation. These are flourishing sectors and have created employment when well organised. When jobs are created, the first to be employed are usually close relatives, then friends and other acquaintances are hired. In Senegal, it is the Civil Service Ministry (Ministère de la Fonction Publique) that manages state employment services. The ANPEJ is an agency created to facilitate young people’s access to jobs with an opportunity to enhance capabilities in the field of entrepreneurship. This agency also facilitates access to funding for implementing projects.
Training There are a number of vocational training centres in Senegal teaching languages as well as company management. One should bear in mind that these schools have mostly been opened in Dakar, but are starting to be decentralised in other regions in order to comply with demand. It is difficult for migrants with a low level of education to benefit from training offered in these centres or schools, but they can enrol their children. The National Agency for the Promotion of Employment among the Young (Agence nationale pour la promotion de l’emploi des jeunes - ANPEJ) is aimed at young people aged between 18 and 35, offering them free short courses in different subjects such as entrepreneurship, project management, leadership, etc. It also provides assistance to young people for the implementation and funding of certain micro-projects generating income. Furthermore, thanks to Spanish funding, the IOM has recently created a training centre in Guédiawaye for young returning migrants and potential migrants. Migrants assisted within the framework of the Motuse project, can benefit from fast-track training in entrepreneurship and personal development in partnership with this centre.
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Assistance to vulnerable people and community support Medical and psychosocial assistance Much remains to be done in order to correctly manage people’s health in Senegal. According to WHO the country is ranked 151st out of 191 as far as its people’s health is concerned. In spite of the fact that there have been improvements as far as life expectancy is concerned, mortality and morbidity levels remain high, mainly due to endemic infectious and parasitic diseases. Non-transmittable diseases are also becoming more and more significant. Significant progress has been made in the battle against certain major endemic diseases, especially malaria and AIDS. Within the framework of disease prevention, the results of the Broader Vaccination Programme have led to an improvement in children’s health. However, infant-juvenile and childbirth mortality rates still remain high. Health policies are aimed at resolving this significant gap in order to achieve the objectives established by the country and meet the challenges set by the Sustainable Development Goals that Senegal has subscribed to. In broad outline, there are two sorts of insurance for accessing health care in Senegal; state insurance and private insurance. For those earning wages, health risks are covered by a company or inter-company health insurance scheme. Employers are responsible for enrolling employees in the correct health insurance system. In spite of this, considering the limited number of wage-earning employees in Senegal, it is clear that only a small percentage of the population has appropriate health insurance, leaving everyone else to rely on state-funded health care. There is an insurance system for facilitating access to health care, but few Senegalese pay their dues privately because of the service’s costs and the fact that primary needs, such as food, are a priority for most people, while health care is often relegated to second place. The Senegalese government has proposed universal medical cover (Couverture Maladie Universelle - CMU) the main idea of which is to move towards universal health care within the framework of an optimisation of care offered, the promotion of free health care for the poor and the creation of a voluntary health insurance system. This system has started to work, but is still in its very early stages. Social-psychological and psychiatric problems are relatively neglected; however the following organisations provide appropriate care: • CHU de Fann ; Av. Cheikh Anta DIOP BP: 5035 Dakar; http://www.chnu-fann.sn • The psychiatric hospital in Thiaroye, Route de Rufisque, km 18 • Dalal Khel (Route de Thiès)
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COUNTRY SHEET
Programmes for supporting vulnerable groups There are juvenile assistance centres providing apprenticeships, management and reintegration for young people who have committed acts of delinquency. These centres are involved in training activities as well as re-education, assistance, prevention and rehabilitation. Training facilities on offer range from primary and secondary education to vocational training for sectors such as restauration, cutting and sewing, dyeing, mechanics, electricity, cold storage, carpentry, silkscreen painting, hairdressing and functional literacy courses. There is also a Sesame Plan for the elderly, which consists in providing free medication to older people.
Local support organisations There are various organisations and institutions offering assistance to those in need and these are at time complementary to reintegration assistance provided by the IOM. They include: Regional Development Agencies (RDA) are technical bodies at the service of departmental councils and local collectives, and which provide support for local development policies. Their overall mission consists in supporting the coordination and harmonisation of interventions and initiatives undertaken by local collectives in the field of local development thereby providing a pertinent framework for coherent implementation of development intervention at a regional level. More specifically these agencies are responsible for: • supporting local development planning; • a coherent implementation of interventions between, on the one hand, local communities in one same region, and on the other with national policies and plans; • follow-up evaluation of local development programmes and intervention plans; • drafting, supporting implementation and follow-up of contracts for non-governmental services made available; • drafting and follow-up for project contracts. In the course of the past few years, many of these agencies have initiated support programmes for migrants (economic reintegration, advice and orientation, project followup). Some of these have benefitted from support provided by IOM. The objective of the RDAs is to provide services facilitating the integration and the activities of migrants and those intending to migrate. Certain RDAs also include BAOS. The BAOS (Bureaux d’Appui et d’Orientation et de Suivi des Sénégalais de l’Extérieur) were initially created at Dakar Airport to welcome and assist Senegalese migrants. Since then they have developed in numerous regions relying on the RDAs. BAOS have now been opened in RDAs in Diourbel, Louga, Sedhiou, Kolda, Tambacounda and will soon open in Matam (supported by IOM). They report to the Direction Générale des Sénégalais de l’Extérieur (DGSE) and their function is to ensure that DGSE services are accessible at a local level. The BAOS provide information to migrants regarding investment and support 12
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provided by the DGSE, as well as other services such as advice for returning home and consular relations. The NGO La Lumière’s objective is to develop a spirit of sustainable entrepreneurship in vulnerable and disadvantaged environments. This NGO contributes to the harmonious and social-economic development of vulnerable and disadvantaged classes. Its development objectives are: • To support decentralisation and local communities; • To protect underprivileged children and woman in moral, material and social danger; • To promote, make accessible and supervise the application of children’s and women’s rights; • To oppose the worst cases of child labour; • To promote community and preventive health care especially in underprivileged environments; • To develop appeals and all other means aimed at opposing environmental and lifestyle degradation; • To promote and defend human rights. This NGO is particularly active in the Tambacounda, Kolda and Kedougou regions.
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COUNTRY SHEET
Microfinance and investment The microfinance sector has experienced very swift development over the past decade in relation to the development of associative dynamics and the battle against poverty. In Senegal, the financial sector is characterised by duality between, on the one hand the banking system and, on the other the informal financial system and decentralised financing experiences (networks, savings and credit banks, savings and credit groups and institutions that have undersigned the framework convention). Microfinance institutions include the Crédit Mutuel du Sénégal (CMS), Microcred, ACEP, PAMECAS, CNCAS. The state of Senegal has also created programmes for facilitating and supporting investments: • Guaranteed Funds for Priority Investments (Fonds de Garantie des Investissements Prioritaires FONGIP) and Sovereign Strategic Investment Funds (Fonds souverain d’investissement stratégiques FONSIS) are aimed at improving financing conditions for economic operators intervening in priority sectors so as to sustainably increase productivity; • FAISE is a fund created to promote productive investments in Senegal from abroad. The objective is to encourage and support productive investments made by Senegalese from abroad; • FOGARISE consists of Guaranteed funds for Investments made by Senegalese Abroad (Fonds de Garantie pour l’Investissement des Sénégalais de l’Extérieur); • FOGALOG consists of Guaranteed Funds (Fonds de Garantie) for access to accommodation for those with low or irregular income; • PLASEPRI is a Private Sectors Support Platform and supports the Valorisation of the Senegalese Diaspora in Italy. The overall objective of this programme is to increase the capability of the Senegalese private sector and of Senegalese citizens resident in Italy to contribute to sustainable development in their country of origin. The project’s specific objective is to increase the volume of effective and productive investments made by SMBs that generate employment opportunities especially in regions from which many emigrate; • ANIDA (Agence Nationale d’Insertion et de Développement Agricole) National Agency for Integration and Agricultural Development, intends to create 402 “Naatangue” farm and support five emerging agricultural areas. The agency works in favour of a significant return to agriculture by the young, so as to encourage job creation and fight illegal emigration and the exodus from rural areas; • FAIRE: agricultural farm integration for returning migrants.
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Section II
Reintegration opportunities
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COUNTRY SHEET
The development of individual activities generating income has increased significantly in Senegal in recent years. There are many sectors targeted and each has its specificities in terms of investments, clients, products and revenue. We will address here a few interesting ideas for returning migrants based upon IOM Dakar’s direct experience.
Trade Trade plays an important role in Senegal. Let us take as an example Mr. Modou BEYE (34 years old) who, following his return to Senegal, opened a food shop in his region of origin, Diogo. He has the advantage of not having much competition and the rent for his shop is not very high. He has invested a little over 3,000 euros in this activity and for the moment profit margins are sufficient to ensure his survival. He had already worked in this sector before migrating, saving 4 million CFA Francs, which he used to finance his journey.
Tailor-made clothes Made to order clothes go hand-in-hand with fashion and in Senegal fashion is very important and the sector’s development has been remarkable. Mohamed is 35 years old and is a trained fashion designer. He went on an adventure and travelled through Europe, but things did not turn out as he had hoped. He decided to return home and thanks to IOM’s AVRR programme he bought four sewing machines and opened his own boutique, investing a total of 2,800 euros. He makes clothes and sells them. He earns 15,000 CFA Francs a day, sometimes more, depending on events. He therefore provides for his needs and employs a few members of his family. He is happy to have returned home and does not regret his decision. Moustapha also chose to invest in fashion. Returning from Belgium with a 1,700 euro subsidy he was able to buy two embroidery and ordinary sewing machines and rent his shop. His activity has been successful and two of his brothers now work for him, thereby also profiting from his project.
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Agriculture Agriculture is also a profitable activity and very popular among returning migrants. Issa Ka is 35 years old and lives in Richard Toll. With a 3,500 euro budget he invested in rice growing and used two fields; the first measuring 5 and the second 7 hectares. He is convinced he will be 100% successful since rice grows well in his fields and there are all the conditions to guarantee his project is successful.
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COUNTRY SHEET
Livestock farming Livestock farming is also very popular among migrants from the southern regions. Poultry breeding is successful but involves certain risks that may significantly affect the project’s revenue, especially the risk of epidemics. Livestock farming is, generally speaking, a simple, traditional activity in which all family members are often involved. Moussa Doulo Ba invested 3,000 euros to start his sheep and cattle breeding farm. Ndongo KHOLLE invested in poultry farming with a start-up budget of 2,860 euros.
Beekeeping This is still a little-known sector in Senegal but one with great potential. There are beekeeping development projects involving new techniques in the south, for example in Kolda. It is very probable that IOM Senegal will develop beekeeping community projects for migrants returning from Niger.
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Transport Transport plays an important role in the Senegalese economy and a significant number of returning migrants invest in this sector. Khalipha Mbengue is 43 years old and when he returned home he bought a Citroen Jumpy. He set up a public transport service in Ziguinchor and thanks to this investment was able to buy another car that he uses in Kaolack. The first car is presently used by his brother who makes monthly payments to him. He initially invested 3,350 euros and is currently earning between 7,000 and 10,000 CFA Francs a day.
Construction Although most migrants returning home within the framework of voluntary return projects are not attracted by this sector, it is flourishing extremely well and generates significant profits. It is therefore a good opportunity that should be considered.
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Section III
The reintegration assistance in practice
COUNTRY SHEET
Reintegration assistance and the payment process IOM Dakar is responsible for welcoming, informing, reintegrating, mentoring and following the progress made by returning migrants in implementing their projects. Assisting migrants returning to Senegal is one of the most important stages in the reintegration process. They often have doubts, lack confidence and are fearful. Initial contact between a migrant and IOM takes place over the telephone and is followed by a meeting held at the IOM offices where the migrant is provided with the clearest and most detailed explanations possible about the aid process. Once reintegration project has been clarified and agreed on, migrants are asked to provide a pro forma invoice for the assistance required to fully implement their projects, and it is on the basis of this document that IOM pays the supplier. IOM does not effectively provide reintegration subsidies in cash; the organisation buys the goods or services needed for the implementation of a returning migrant’s reintegration plan. IOM then follows up by regularly contacting the migrant to see how the project is progressing and, a few months later, usually visits the migrant to see how his psychosocial and economic reintegration is developing. Even after the monitoring visit, contact is at times continued and, when necessary, IOM calls on migrants it has assisted to act as testimonials or to provide information about other support available to them.
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Documentation required In order to receive the assistance they are entitled to, returning migrants must present (at least) the following documentation to IOM personnel in Dakar, depending on the type of assistance requested: • For activities generating revenue: a business plan, a pro forma invoice (for goods and services received), a rental contract (should a shop have been rented), supplier’s ID • For transport activities (taxis, motorcycle taxis): the vehicle’s papers, driving licence, notarised sales documentation, valid insurance • Rented accommodation: rental contract, receipt • Medical expenses: a doctor’s prescription and test results or x-rays, pro forma invoice etc. Once payment has been made, the returning migrant must provide IOM personnel with the invoice, contract or final evidence of sale and then sign a receipt.
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COUNTRY SHEET
More information? To obtain more information about reintegration opportunities in Senegal, please contact IOM in Dakar:
Ms Salla MBAYE Reintegration Focal Point +221 33 869 62 00
[email protected] IOM Dakar address: Route des Almadies, Zone 3, BP 16 838, Dakar
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International Organization for Migration