The history of Senegal is first of all that of empires and kingdoms, of migrations and
conquests, well before the arrival of the first European settlers.
Before the colonial period, several kingdoms succeeded each other with a wave of
migration that led to the settlement of Senegal with the formation of great empires (Ghana Empire, Mali Empire in the middle of the 13th century,Songhai empire) which exercised their authority over the Senegal valley, a true axis of trade between peoples. Several kingdoms were also established. The kingdom of Tekrour, was the first and was under the domination of the empire of Ghana until the end of the 10th century. The Djolof kingdom, the core of present-day Senegal was founded by King Ndiadian Ndiaye, and gathered the Wolof tribes in the 14th century.
From the 15th century, several powers tried to establish their domination over Senegal. From 1677 to 1814, a tough competition was established between the foreign powers to ensure the total domination of Senegal. Indeed, the first wave was that of the Portuguese with the establishment of vast trading posts for the transit of goods such as gold, spices, ivory… The second wave at the end of the 15th century was that of the British and Dutch, with the establishment of a fort. The French presence, around the 17th century, was marked by the construction of a fortified trading post on the island of Nadar, in Rufisque and in Joal. This only in 1814, on May 30, the Treaty of Paris gave France control of Senegal.
It is without counting on the support of General de Gaulle during the conference of Brazaville in 1944 that the wave of domination gradually came to an end. This period was marked by a succession of political and legal decisions. Indeed, in 1946, the “Lamine Gueye” law conferred French citizenship on the citizens, the law of 1957 divided French West Africa into eight states and instituted the local executive in Senegal. In 1958, Senegal became a Republic within the French community with Dakar as its capital. On August 25, 1960, a historic date in the history of the Republic of Senegal, consecrates the independence of Senegal, under President Léopold Sédar Senghor. From February 1983, Senegal has successively as President Abdou Diouf (1983), Abdoulaye Wade (2000) and Macky Sall in 2012 and 2019.
Geopolitics of Senegal
Located between the Sahelian zone and the tropical forest, Senegal benefits from an exceptional diversity. The volcanic peninsula of Cape Verde with the volcanic hills of Mamelles, 104m high, the cliff of Thies and the first of Fouta Djalon in the South East of the country in the region of Kédougou, the hills of Fouta-Toro are the pride of the country.
The Senegal River, which gives its name to the country, borders Mauritania and its tributary, the Falémé, which marks the limits with Mali, participates in the development of the country. Senegal also has important natural resources including phosphate, limestone, iron, marble, gold, peat, oil and natural gas which make the wealth of its soil.
With its opening on the Atlantic Ocean, Senegal benefits from a remarkable geographical situation. This allows the country to play, very early, a role of in the various exchanges between Europe, America and Africa. Indeed, Africa is the first destination of Senegalese products with 49.7% of exports, followed by Asia (19.5%) and Europe (16.9%).As for imports, Europe remains Senegal’s main supplier, accounting for 47.1% of imports, followed by Asia with 25.9%, Africa with 19.5% and America 6.5 percent.
Senegal’s current development policy
In an international environment more than ever characterized by extreme competition between countries in a system where opportunities are becoming increasingly rare, Senegal is working to meet the challenges and exploit its enormous potential in order to embark on a new trajectory of strong growth that is inclusive, sustainable, job-creating and preserving the environment and resources. Indeed, since 2015, the Senegalese economy has experienced remarkable growth. From 6.7% in 2016 and 6.9% in
2017, this growth will increase to 7% in 2018 and 2019 with agriculture, tourism, public investments in energy and infrastructure. Senegal is also firmly committed to a new economic and social development model through the Emerging Senegal Plan (PSE), which aims to achieve which aims for emergence in solidarity. The vision is “An emerging Senegal in 2035 with a society based on solidarity and the rule of law”. This reference framework for economic and social policy emphasizes the creation of wealth and employment, the
governance, the development of strategic sectors with significant impacts on the improvement of the well-being of the population particularly through the protection of vulnerable groups and the guarantee of access to essential services.
SDG 6 and Senegal
Water, sanitation and hygiene are rights for all, regardless of the country.
In developing countries, certain segments of the population still struggle to have access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation.
In September 2015, a set of goals was adopted to progressively eradicate poverty and ensure equal prosperity. The recommendations from the leaders include at the national and international level to ensure access to water and sanitation for all as a Sustainable Development Goal (SDG6). Until the middle of the 20th century water was considered an inexhaustible resource that each user could appropriate, own, and use according to his or her needs .(Honegger and Tabarly,2011).
In Senegal, despite a potential in water resources, the issue of water has become a national concern due to the series of challenges facing the sector: scarcity, randomness of rainfall, vulnerability of water resources vulnerability of water resources, disparity in their spatial distribution. The populations of Senegal are confronted with the absence of clean and economical water resources, especially in rural areas, or means of development in case of good water availability. The results of the year 2015 show that 12.8% of Senegalese still did not have access to safe drinking water and 45.3% did not have access to adequate sanitation (ANSD, 2017). The poorest households have the least access to domestic taps, which is their most common represents their most frequent mode of supply. Only 16% of them use this type of source for their water supply (ANSD, 2018).In addition, access to water and sanitation services is much lower in the poorest communities and among the most vulnerable groups (MHA, 2016). It is important to note that Senegal, in order to implement the 2030 Agenda of the SDGs, has implemented a national strategy to align the SDGs with its national policy, as well as an Emerging Senegalese Plan (PSE) for 2035, which has been in its second phase since 2019 and will end in 2023.