Senegal wants to accelerate universal access to electricity. A round table organized in Dakar raised 998 billion FCFA of commitments. The private sector carries most of this envelope.
Senegal wants to take a new step in its electrification. On Tuesday, October 6, 2026, a round table organized in Dakar mobilized 998 billion FCFA in financial commitments. The objective displayed by the authorities is clear: to achieve universal access to electricity by 2029.
The meeting brought together technical and financial partners as well as actors from the private sector. She was co-chaired by Abdourahmane Diouf, Minister of Energy and Petroleum, and Cheikh Diba, Minister of Economy, Finance and Planning. The commitments announced far exceed the needs still identified by the government. Of the 998 billion FCFA announced, 817 billion come from the private sector. The technical and financial partners have announced 181 billion for new electrification projects. This mobilization is an important signal for Dakar. But the authorities now want to transform the announcements into effective financing, then into operational infrastructure.
The needs remain important. The completion strategy developed by the government identifies 6,471 localities that do not yet have identified funding for their electrification. The residual need is estimated at 395.8 billion FCFA. This estimate concerns localities that remain to be covered despite projects already underway or in progress. The figures also show a persistent gap between urban and rural areas. According to government data collected by Benin Web TV, the national rate of access to electricity reached 86.2% in 2024. In rural areas, it was 69.8%. Rural electrification is therefore one of the main challenges of the programme. In particular, it involves developing networks in areas that are sometimes far from large urban centres.
The challenge will now be execution
The 998 billion FCFA announced constitute a significant envelope. But a financial announcement is not enough to guarantee effective access to electricity. Senegal will now have to ensure the realization of the commitments. This involves the construction of infrastructure, the monitoring of financing and the ability to complete projects on time. The government aims for 2029 to achieve universal access. He therefore has three years left to transform this financial mobilization into visible results on the ground.
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