Senegal Results Report 2021-2023

Senegal’s first OGP action planAction plans are at the core of a government’s participation in OGP. They are the product of a co-creation process in which government and civil society jointly develop commitments to open governmen... brought together the Senegalese open government community around concrete reforms. However, the action plan achieved limited completionImplementers must follow through on their commitments for them to achieve impact. For each commitment, OGP’s Independent Reporting Mechanism (IRM) evaluates the degree to which the activities outlin... More and no notable results. The OGP host institution had limited ability to convene and fund OGP activities and faced co-ordination challenges with key partners, which delayed the start of implementation. Looking ahead, the Government of Senegal can consider how to best locate and formalize OGP to ensure action plans lead to results.

Early ResultsEarly results refer to concrete changes in government practice related to transparency, citizen participation, and/or public accountability as a result of a commitment’s implementation. OGP’s Inde... More

None of Senegal’s 12 commitments in its first OGP action plan yielded early results. Despite considered promising, commitments 1, 3, 4 and 9 on the access to information, the fight against corruption, transparencyAccording to OGP’s Articles of Governance, transparency occurs when “government-held information (including on activities and decisions) is open, comprehensive, timely, freely available to the pub... More in the fisheries sector, and participatory budgeting saw only limited completion of some activities. For several commitments, draft bills were prepared and submitted to the government, without follow-up until the end of the implementation period. Other commitments were not implemented at all, due to a lack of consensus with the commitmentOGP commitments are promises for reform co-created by governments and civil society and submitted as part of an action plan. Commitments typically include a description of the problem, concrete action... holder.

Significant co-ordination challenges among key OGP actors limited implementation progress. The Directorate for the Promotion of Good Governance (Direction de la promotion de la bonne gouvernance, DPBG) in the Ministry of Justice is responsible for Senegal’s OGP process. DPBG cited limited human and financial resources as inhibiting the OGP process.[1] Senegal’s main OGP funding partner, Program to Support Francophone Open Government (Programme d’Appui aux Gouvernements Ouverts Francophones, PAGOF) intended to provide support around commitment implementation, development of an OGP website, recruitment of consultants to support the OGP process, and support for participating civil society. However, co-ordination challenges between DPBG and PAGOF undermined these aims. An OGP Senegal National Technical Committee (NTC) member stated that PAGOF’s lengthy administrative and financial procedures delayed disbursement.^[2] A PAGOF representative stated that the lack of a government point of contact for OGP who understood their fiduciary procedures led to the co-ordination challenges.[3]

Completion

Senegal’s first action plan covered (i) transparency in public management and access to information; (ii) access to public services and the quality of services provided; and (iii) citizen participation. Most of the 12 commitments reached a limited level of completion. Indeed, implementation started for seven commitments, ranging from the drafting of texts to meetings and the physical realization of infrastructure. However, these actions are limited compared to the ambitions and milestones set at the beginning of the implementation. For the remaining five commitments, the IRM found no evidence that implementation had started. This was caused by the institutional changes within the public administration, so that monitoring of implementation and ownership of the commitments by the commitment holders was inadequate.^[4] Given the limited results, Senegal will pursue most of the relevant commitments in the next action plan.

Participation and Co-Creation

The Directorate for the Promotion of Good Governance co-chairs the National Technical Committee alongside civil society organization Article-19. Together they steered the co-creation of Senegal’s first OGP action plan[5], with public consultations with citizens in the country’s 13 regions.

Senegal’s first co-creation processCollaboration between government, civil society and other stakeholders (e.g., citizens, academics, private sector) is at the heart of the OGP process. Participating governments must ensure that a dive... was participatory and resulted in 12 modestly ambitious commitments. However, given that the OGP process was new to Senegal, many participants lacked sufficient knowledge of the process or open government to meaningfully participate in commitment design.

Civil society noted that online and social media channels would enable participation of those who cannot attend in-person consultations.[6] Social media is the dominant means Senegalese people use to follow current events and consider it key to engaging in political processes.[7] Since September 2023, Senegal OGP has had a Facebook page and a Google Drive folder.[8] Maintaining these platforms and creating channels for online consultations are opportunities to strengthen Senegal’s OGP process. Participation weakened during implementation, with the formal implementation launch taking place just six months before the end of the action plan period.

Implementation in context

Implementation of Senegal’s first action plan corresponded with a political crisis surrounding national elections. Demonstrations and clashes broke out following the arrest in March 2021 of the opposition leader, who was charged with disturbing the peace and taking part in an unauthorized demonstration.[9] In July 2022, the opposition called for further demonstrations in the run-up to the legislative elections, to protest against the invalidation of the main alliance’s national list. The demonstration, banned by the government, led to clashes between police and demonstrators, resulting in at least three victims and the arrest of opposition leaders. In June 2023, unrest—described as the worst in years—erupted after opposition politician Ousmane Sonko was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment. The announcement of the sentence triggered violence that officially left 16 people dead.[10]

According to a civil society representative[11], this crisis had a negative impact on the completion of the commitments, as it led to restrictions on civic space and reduced the government’s willingness to engage with both governance reforms and civil society. Senegalese authorities suspended Internet access via mobile data in June[12] and July[13] 2023. Amnesty International consequently raised concerns around “restrictions on the right to freedom of expression and information.”[14] At the time of writing, CIVICUS civic space tracker rated Senegal as “repressed.”[15] Legislative electionsImproving transparency in elections and maintaining the independence of electoral commissions is vital for promoting trust in the electoral system, preventing electoral fraud, and upholding the democr... More also brought about institutional changes that slowed down implementation, with changes in both NTC members and commitment holders. Despite several ministerial reshuffles between 2022 and 2023, the Minister of JusticeTo address barriers that prevent citizens from having their justice needs met, OGP participating governments are working to expand transparency, accountability, and inclusion into all systems of justi..., the OGP’s focal point, remained throughout the action plan cycle.

[1] Arona Sarr, Director for Promotion of Good Governance, OGP Point of Contact, Ministry of Justice, interviewed by the IRM researcher by WhatsApp call and email on October 25, 2023.

^[2] Anonymous National Technical Committee civil society representative, interviewed by WhatsApp call by the IRM researcher, January 2024.

[3] Anonymous PAGOF representative, interviewed by WhatsApp call and email by the IRM researcher, January 2024.

^[4] Abdoulaye Ndiaye, civil society member, Article-19, OGP Multi-stakeholder ForumRegular dialogue between government and civil society is a core element of OGP participation. It builds trust, promotes joint problem-solving, and empowers civil society to influence the design, imple... (MSF) Co-Chair, interviewed by the IRM researcher by WhatsApp call and email on October 26, 2023.

[5] Arona Sarr, Director for Promotion of Good Governance, OGP Point of Contact, Ministry of Justice interviewed by the IRM researcher by WhatsApp call and email on October 25, 2023 & Abdoulaye Ndiaye, civil society member, Article-19, OGP MSF Co-Chair, interviewed by the IRM researcher by WhatsApp call and email on October 26, 2023.

[6] Abdoulaye Ndiaye, civil society member, Article-19, OGP MSF Co-Chair, interviewed by the IRM researcher by WhatsApp call and email on October 26, 2023.

[7] Afrobarometer is a pan-African, non-partisan survey research network that produces reliable data on Africans’ experiences and perceptions of democracy, governance and quality of life. Seven rounds of surveys were carried out in 38 countries between 1999 and 2018. Round 8 surveys in 2019/2021 are planned for at least 35 countries. As part of these surveys, Afrobarometer conducts face-to-face interviews in the respondent’s language with nationally representative samples.

[8] Open Government Partnership Senegal. Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61551495163279&_rdc=1&_rdr; https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/1_PqF2HqZB6MUihJjL9fGGDzSNbffyGbd

[9] Senegal will never forget March 2021. Amnesty International. 3 March 2022. https://www.amnesty.org/fr/latest/campaigns/2022/03/senegal-noublie-pas-mars-2021/

[10] « Sénégal : 23 morts selon Amnesty International, qui réclame une enquête. » TV5 Monde. 9 June 2023. https://information.tv5monde.com/afrique/senegal-23-morts-selon-amnesty-international-qui-reclame-une-enquete-2646005#

[11] Abdoulaye Ndiaye, civil society member, Article-19, OGP MSF Co-Chair, interviewed by the IRM researcher by WhatsApp call and email on October 26, 2023.

[12] “Sénégal: coupure d’internet après l’arrestation de Sonko, vers de nouvelles manifestations ? » 31 July 2023. La Nouvelle Tribune. https://lanouvelletribune.info/2023/07/senegal-coupure-dinternet-apres-larrestation-de-sonko-vers-de-nouvelles-manifestations/

[13] “Les coupures d’Internet au Sénégal menacent les entreprises.” NewAfrican. 6 June 2023. https://magazinedelafrique.com/african-business/les-coupures-dinternet-au-senegal-menacent-les-entreprises/

[14] Amnesty International statement quoted by NewAfrican magazine, https://magazinedelafrique.com/african-business/les-coupures-dinternet-au-senegal-menacent-les-entreprises/

[15] CIVICUS civic space monitor. https://monitor.civicus.org/country/senegal/ Accessed: January 11, 2024.