Press release

USAID contributes $48 million for development in Senegal

DAKAR, September 21, 2007 – The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is providing $48 million in development assistance to Senegal in 2007 under agreements signed today with the Government of Senegal.

This year’s USAID contribution marks an 18% increase in aid to the West African country over 2006, most notably in middle school education and funding through the President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) to fight malaria, Senegal’s leading cause of death.

Over the past four years, USAID assistance has averaged more than $37 million. The Agency has provided more than $1 billion since beginning its activities with the people of Senegal in 1961.

The agreements cover:

Health: over $29 million for malaria prevention, maternal and child health, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and decentralized health planning and financing, and community health. This amount includes $16.7 million for PMI activities in the country.

Education: $10.7 million to build and equip rural middle schools, train teachers and principals, and organize community participation in managing the schools.

Economic Growth: over $7.2 million to promote economic growth through development policy reform, natural resource management, increased trade and investment, support to small enterprises, and public-private partnerships.

Casamance Program: more than $890,000 will be used to promote peace in this southern region of Senegal, which has seen more than 20 years of civil conflict.

"USAID is resolutely engaged in supporting the Government of Senegal in its priority social sectors,” said Finance Minister Abdoulaye Diop at the signing ceremony. He noted that USAID’s current programs “align perfectly” with the Government’s poverty reduction strategy, adding that USAID’s programs over the past four and a half decades have “recorded numerous successes.”

Mr. Diop added that his government had already begun activities with matching funds for education and that additional matching funds for 2008 have been budgeted.

In his first public appearance, USAID/Senegal’s new Mission Director Kevin Mullally said USAID seeks to help create conditions so that USAID can use Senegal’s public institutions and procedures in keeping with the Paris Declaration on donor harmonization. He explained that the Government has signed an agreement this year under which USAID will reimburse the government for up to nine rural middle schools built to specification.

“We encourage the Government of Senegal to carry out all reforms leading to greater transparency in its budgetary and financial systems so that a larger portion of our assistance can be channeled through the Government,” he said, urging government officials to apply the new procurement code by January 2008.

USAID is the lead agency for the U.S. Government providing economic development and humanitarian assistance to people around the world. As an active partner of the Government and people of Senegal, USAID listens to local concerns and priorities, and then responds with joint activities to help reduce poverty, support improvements in health and education, promote democracy and economic growth, recover from disasters, and prevent conflicts.