Senegal Secures $1.7 Billion In Commitments To Achieve Universal Electricity Access By 2029

Senegal has secured nearly $1.7 billion (CFAF 1 trillion) in financing commitments towards achieving universal electricity access by 2029 under a programme led by the African Development Bank Group and Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL).

The commitments are expected to support electricity connections in 6,471 localities across the country.

They were announced at a national roundtable held in Dakar on October 6, co-chaired by Energy and Petroleum Minister El Hadji Abdourahmane Diouf and Economy, Finance and Planning Minister Cheikh Diba, under the theme “From commitments to results”.

Development partners pledged CFAF 181 billion (about $320 million) for new electrification projects, while the private sector committed CFAF 817 billion (about $1.4 billion). This compares with an estimated financing requirement of CFAF 400 billion (about $700 million) to electrify localities not yet covered by existing projects.

“The roundtable exceeded its objectives by a wide margin,” Diouf said. “The challenge now is to translate these commitments into concrete actions to achieve universal electricity access by 2029.”

He added that the National Energy Compact would serve as an implementation framework to accelerate delivery, strengthen coordination and focus efforts on measurable results.

Senegal’s national electricity access rate stood at 86.2% at the end of 2024, compared with 69.8% in rural areas. Of the country’s 25,725 localities, 12,683 have been electrified and 6,571 are covered by ongoing projects, leaving 6,471 localities, home to nearly one million people, still without electricity.

According to the Senegal Energy Compact Implementation Support Document (CISD), the investment programme includes extending medium- and low-voltage electricity networks to approximately 3,978 localities, deploying solar mini-grids in 844 localities and installing stand-alone solar systems in 1,649 localities.

The programme also includes the installation of 27,000 household biodigesters and investments to improve the operational performance of Senelec, the country’s national electricity company.

On October 7, the government and the Compact Delivery Unit reviewed measures to strengthen the implementation and monitoring of the National Energy Compact.

The review was facilitated by SEforALL, with support from the African Development Bank Group’s Africa Energy Sector Technical Assistance Program (AESTAP), financed by the Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA).

The session also assessed progress on actions and commitments arising from the roundtable discussions and concluded with agreement on five priorities for the next 12 months:

• Finalise and operationalise the Integrated Least-Cost Plan (ILCP).
• Implement the National Clean Cooking Strategy 2025-2035.
• Strengthen private sector participation.
• Sustain electricity access monitoring tools and data systems.
• Improve project and commitment tracking, stakeholder coordination and the resolution of implementation bottlenecks.

Wale Shonibare, Director of Energy Financial Solutions, Policy and Regulation at the African Development Bank Group, said Senegal had set a clear ambition to achieve universal electricity access by 2029.

“The African Development Bank Group is committed to supporting this ambition through financing, technical expertise and technical assistance instruments,” he said.

“The priority now is to connect reforms, project preparation, resource mobilisation, implementation and results monitoring into one delivery chain, so that commitments become tangible outcomes for the population.”

The Senegal workshop is the fourth in a series, following previous editions in Kenya, Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire. Two further workshops are planned in Botswana and Sierra Leone.