INVESTING IN SENEGALESE HUMAN CAPITAL FOR A SUSTAINABLE AND INCLUSIVE FUTURE

2024年第1期，总第78期。作者：电子科技大学西非研究中心团队；执笔人：Mirriam Ogunja（电子科技大学西非研究中心团队成员）；译者：孙恬甜（电子科技大学公共管理学院）；整理：孟雅琪、黄锐（电子科技大学公共管理学院）；供稿：电子科技大学西非研究中心团队。

Senegal's future Human Capital looks bright

Source: WBA

ABOUT SENEGAL

Located in the westernmost part of the continent, Senegal is bordered by Mauritania, Mali, Guinea, and Guinea-Bissau. It has a dry, tropical climate and a population of 16.7 million, a quarter of whom live in the Dakar region. It is one of Africa’s most stable electoral democracies and has undergone peaceful transfers of power between rival parties since 2000. However, politically motivated prosecutions of opposition leaders and changes to the electoral laws have reduced the competitiveness of the opposition in recent years. Other ongoing challenges include corruption in government, weak rule of law, and inadequate protections for the rights of women and LGBT+ people.

SENEGALE’s ECONOMIC OUTLOOK (2023)

By the end of 2023, economic GDP growth should reach 4.7%, driven by a rebound in the secondary sector thanks to the normalization of international commodity prices, a favorable institutional environment, and the use of private-public partnerships to finance public investments and the strengthening of foreign direct investment for the exploitation of hydrocarbons. The budget deficit is projected to narrow to 5.8% of GDP in 2023 and 4.5% in 2024 thanks to the expected rationalization of subsidies and domestic revenue mobilization. Debt is projected to fall below 70% of GDP in 2024 thanks to the narrower public deficit and growth prospects. The current account deficit is projected to drop below 10% of GDP in 2024 for the first time since 2020, with the start of hydrocarbon exports.

Economic recovery should be gradual. The reforms set out in the Plan Sénégal Émergent (PSE) must be reinforced to enable growth to return to its pre-pandemic trajectory. Services still account for the majority of GDP growth, while the primary sector (agriculture, in particular) remains the main engine of growth. Oil and gas projects have been postponed due to the health crisis and are not expected to contribute to revenues and exports until 2035.

SENEGAL’s HUMAN CAPITAL DEVELOPMENTAL CHALLENGES

African countries are increasingly becoming aware of the need to invest in human capital to meet the challenges of the future. One of these countries is Senegal. Human capital can be defined as the economic value of the abilities and qualities of labor that influence productivity, such as education therefore, investing in these qualities produces greater economic output.

While Senegal’s Roadmap describes relatively high levels of commitment, weak performance on the business environment metric underlines the importance of strengthening the private sector and promoting the rule of law. In addition, a below-average score concerning the economic gender gap highlights the need to come up with strategies focusing on increasing the meaningful participation of women in the economy.

This means addressing gender and social inclusion priorities at a Mission-wide and country level by increasing women’s economic empowerment, strengthening GBV services and implementing anti-GBV policies and action plans,

Many of Senegale's young people remain disconnected from the mainstream of economic life; with rural youth (particularly young women) especially disadvantaged due to lower literacy rates, early marriage and GBV, and limited job opportunities outside the agriculture sector.

Agriculture provides a quarter of women’s employment, but occupational gender differences, unemployment, significant levels of informal employment in agriculture, petty trade and services, women’s unpaid household care, and the gaps in the legal framework are all indications of women’s relative economic disempowerment.

Further, Senegal reports huge gender disparities in many areas where women are disadvantaged. These areas include subsistence agriculture, where women are concentrated; the informal sector where women-owned businesses in Senegal tend to be very small micro-enterprises that are vulnerable to shocks, such as fisheries, where women’s role is limited to small-scale processing; and rural areas where women and girls are usually responsible for household water and sanitation, but lack the services and income to meet their household needs.

Locals at a local market

Source: African Business

POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS

§ Come up with policies that can encourage behavior change, empower people to find solutions through education and research, and reskill and upskill workers for new opportunities.

§ Consider research as a lever for economic and social development and implement research and innovation activities. Most R&D funding is provided by the State in the form of grants to various research structures (universities, public scientific institutions, higher schools, etc.), postgraduate scholarships, and competitive funds. Efforts are being made by the Government to strengthen human resources for R&D.

§ Since more than three-quarters of Senegalese women report experiencing GBV during their lifetime, ensuring women’s voices are included using an approach that addresses GBV in the agricultural, nutrition, and food policy system is essential.

§ The contribution of the private sector which is very small should not be overlooked. Improve resilience to macro-fiscal, environmental, climate change, and social risks to safeguard investments in human capital and household livelihoods.

§ Boost and protect gender equality at grassroots levels for productivity growth.      

§ Enhance competitiveness and job creation by improving digital and physical connectivity at the national and regional levels and increasing the efficiency of labor markets.

§ Lower energy costs, reduce the carbon footprint, and optimize the energy mix.

§ Promote the services economy and boost the productivity and competitiveness of agriculture and related value chains.

§ Support faith-based communities, organizations, and religious leaders who are important stakeholders in supporting Senegal's efforts toward self-reliance.

SENEGAL’s LABOUR POLICIES AND PRACTICES

Senegal’s fundamental labor legislation is based on the French Overseas Labor Code of 1952, which was last updated in 1997. The code retains a rigid approach that, according to some observers, favors social over economic goals. Rules relating to employment contracts, layoffs, and redundancy protections are some of the most stringent in the world, imposing high costs on businesses. However, labor law is not well-enforced, especially in the dominant informal sector.

Acquiring work permits for expatriate staff is typically straightforward. Foreign employees must pay a six percent income tax rate on their salary. Citizens from WAEMU member countries may work freely in Senegal. Senegal has an abundant supply of unskilled and semi-skilled labor, with a more limited supply of skilled workers in engineering and technical fields. While Senegal has one of the best higher educational systems in West Africa and produces a substantial pool of educated workers, limited job opportunities in Senegal lead many to emigrate.

Relations between employees and employers are governed by the Labor Code, industry-wide collective bargaining agreements, company regulations, and individual employment contracts. The Code provides legal protection for women and children and prohibits forced labor. It also establishes minimum standards for working age, working hours, and working conditions, and bars children from performing many dangerous jobs. Senegal ratified the International Labor Organization Convention 182 on the worst forms of child labor in 2000. The Code recognizes the right of workers to form and join trade unions. Any group of workers in a similar trade or profession may create a union, although formal approval by the Ministry of the Interior is required. The right to strike is recognized but sometimes restricted. The GOS has the authority to dissolve trade unions and requisition workers from private enterprises.

The right to collective bargaining is guaranteed by law. Collective bargaining agreements cover an estimated 44 percent of formal sector workers.  Most workers, however, operate in the informal sector, where labor rules are not enforced.  Two powerful industry associations represent management’s interests: the National Council of Employers and the National Employers’ Association.  Four labor unions are involved in the negotiations with the government. The three most prominent among them are theNational Confederation of Senegalese Workers (CNTS), the Confederation of Autonomous Trade Unions of Senegal (CSA), and the National Union of Autonomous Trade Unions of Senegal (UNSAS)– a federation of independent labor unions.

Child labor, affecting children between the ages of five and seventeen, remains a problem in informal mining, construction, transportation, domestic work, handicrafts, agriculture, husbandry, and fishing, where labor regulations are rarely enforced. Despite some progress, Senegal still struggles with forced child begging. Tens of thousands of religious students (talibés) are enrolled in Koranic schools (daaras), where some are forced to beg to enrich religious teachers (marabouts), a corruption of the intended lesson in humility. The GOS has made some progress in combatting these practices, but more progress is needed.

Progress has been made in the area of gender equality at the legislative level in Senegal.  In practice, however, the position of women in the labor market remains much less favorable and less visible than that of men, and women still suffer from gaps in pay and access to employment.

Senegal still struggles with forced labor

Source: ADB

CONCLUSION

With a population bigger than any other continent, Africa has a huge asset and a strong competitive advantage. Equipped with education, skills, and jobs, its youth stand to be the most important drivers of economic growth. Having inclusive economic growth will ensure Africans reach their full potential and are on a path to prosperity. Furthermore, healthier, better-educated people are more resilient and better equipped with skills to work and spur innovation. Finally, harnessing the individual potentials of Africa’s human capital is the most sustainable key to economic transformation and social progress. It is therefore worth noting that protecting, building, and using human capital ought to be a part of the bigger strategy in Senegal for a more sustainable and inclusive future.

REFERENCES:

1) Africa Innovations hub

2) African Development Bank Group

3) World Bank 2023 report

4) African Business, 2023