Resources / Senegal Global Sanitation Fund Launch

In Dakar, Senegal, on 30 June, the second in-country Executing Agency (EA) for the Global Sanitation Fund (GSF) was introduced at the launch of the national GSF programme. At the same event a Memorandum Of Agreement was concluded between UNOPS – representing GSF and WSSCC - and the Government of Senegal, represented by the Honourable Adama Sall, Senegal’s Minister of Urbanisation and Sanitation. WSSCC thus committed to spend $5 million in Senegal over the next five years in order to help more people attain safe sanitation and practice good hygiene. AGETIP is now proceeding to develop the Global Sanitation Fund implementation work in Senegal. By year’s end, it will be issuing calls for sub-grantees – NGOs, community groups and companies, for example – who after the new year will conduct targeted sanitation and hygiene promotion, marketing and awareness raising. National sanitation coverage in Senegal has improved from 33 to 51% between 1990 and 2008 (Joint Monitoring Programme) with an increase from 53 to 69% in urban areas and 19 to 38% in rural areas. According to AGETIP, this progression suggests that Senegal could reach the Millennium Development Goal target for sanitation in urban areas, while it will miss it in the rural ones. Says Moussa Diara, AGETIP’s General Director, “The Fund is unique and the sanitation situation can improve quickly with the right kind of efforts. To make real progress in sanitation, we must listen to the needs of the people and support their desire and ability to find human and financial solutions"