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  • Publication | 2024
SENEGAL CASE STUDY VALUE-UP: Policy Innovations to Advance Africa's Food Processing Sector for Growth, Jobs, and Health
Global Food and Nutrition Security

Senegal’s agriculture and food processing sectors significantly contribute to national poverty reduction and economic development efforts.

In 2019, agriculture and food processing contributed 16.7 percent, and 8.9 percent of Senegal’s GDP, respectively. In 2015, the country had over 15,000 food manufacturing businesses, with 97 percent defined as small-scale. The sector employed 6.4 percent of the country’s labor force, of which more than half were in formal employment. Some of the products manufactured by the larger-scale food processors for local and regional markets include tomato paste, fruit jams, bouillon, flour, biscuits, juice, dairy products, and processed meat.

The growth in Senegal’s food processing sector over the years has been due to the government prioritizing it as part of its broad Plan Sénégal Émergent (PSE) policy reforms. These reforms aim to boost production value, reduce import reliance, and create employment and income-generating opportunities.

This case study examines the measures taken by the Senegalese government to enhance food processing, focusing on institutional and policy innovations and the implementation of impactful programs that have collectively contributed to the sector’s growth and sustainability.