Italian development aid in brief

1. Context and purpose of the Italian Cooperation’s presence

The 2013-2015 DGCS-MAE Guidelines and Programmatic Orientations confirmed Senegal as a priority country for the Italian Cooperation in Sub-Saharan Africa and the one with the widest concentration of activities in the region.

In the geopolitical landscape of Western Africa, Senegal is characterized by a high degree of stability. Even during the difficult time of the 2012 election, the country strengthened its role, opening an innovative dialogue with the main international donors.

The partnership agreement between Italy and Senegal, signed on the 7th of December 2010, marked the renewal of Italy’s engagement through more effective operational methods decided together with the local Government. Since 2009 Italy has strengthened its position among the European donors, defining three priority intervention sectors: i) Agriculture and Rural Development; ii) Private Sector and Local Economic Development; iii) Gender and Social Protection. 

The Italian Cooperation focused its efforts mainly along the center-south axis, in the regions of Dakar, Thiès, Kaolack, Fatick, Diourbel, Sédhiou and Kolda, thus sustaining the connection between productive and commercial regions.

The Italian presence in Senegal, strengthened by the opening of a Cooperation Office in Dakar in 2006, stands out thanks to its great continuity of action, even during the highest peaks of the crisis in Casamance. Furthermore, it is enriched by the presence of many Italian NGOs and actors of decentralized cooperation, the great activity of the Senegalese diaspora in Italy, and the contribution of some important bank foundations.

2. Other relevant international donors, coordination and labor-division prospects, joint evaluation practices.

Senegal has many international partners, also thanks to its position as a regional platform. Since 2010 Italy actively participates to the coordination among donors within the context of the Comité de Concertation des Partenaires Techniques et Financieurs (CCPTF/Groupe des 12), composed of 12 representatives of bilateral and multilateral donors. Such authority leads and represents the process of coordination, open to the whole donor community (Groupe des 50), and serves as the main facilitator of the dialogue between donors and the Government of Senegal. Italy joins to Decentralization, Rural Development, Education, Casamance, Gender, Private Sector and microfinance groups and acts as leader in two sectors: the Gender group of the European Union and the multiactor Private Sector group. We also hold  the co-presidency of the Microfinance group and the multiactor Gender group.

To facilitate the technical and financial monitoring of ODA initiatives financed by various donors, in 2008 Senegal created a Management of External Funding platform, regularly updated also with Italian data. In 2010 OECD conducted the second evaluation on the application of the Paris Declaration, underlining the importance of the results obtained. OECD also showed the roadmap to follow as well as the strategy that Italy is implementing, together with the other donors.

In the UE framework, Senegal was the recipient of the Fast Track Initiative on Division of Labor (FTI-DoL), a process started  in 2009 to which Italy, together with France, participated in as a supporting donor. The Italian involvement in the UE context increased in 2010 and 2012 through a greater participation to the process of Labor Division. The encouraging results of the self-evaluation of these projects demonstrated that Italy has a strong potential for leadership in the sector of rural development, SME and gender, laying the foundation for the possibility of strengthening delegated cooperation.

In 2012 Italy put a great amount of effort in making its participation to the UE joint programming as wide as possible. The extension of Italy’s planning to 2013 allowed our country to participate to the drafting of the ‘Joint Programming Document’ together with the EU, France, Spain and Belgium for the 2014-2016 period. In order to effectively start a process of joint planning by 2017, the above mentioned donors, together with Germany and Luxembourg, agreed on some milestones – the most important one being the harmonization of the donors programs. 

Harmonization took place at a sector level, through the devising of joint roadmaps. Such documents contain indications regarding objectives, results and detailed indicators that will be used to give a direction to donors’ activities during the 2014-2016 period. This is a first step towards a proper Joint Planning for 2017. It must be pointed out that Italy had a leadership role in the consultations for the definition of joint priorities in the sectors of Gender, Social Protection and Private Sector

3. Other aspects of the Italian Cooperation System present in the country (NGOs, Universities, local authorities, private sector) and description of their involvement

The framework agreement between Italy and Senegal of December 2013 fully recognizes the role of decentralized cooperation and the role of other agents of cooperation, such as NGOs, as key actors of the ‘Italian System’. A reflection on the added value of the ‘Sistema Italia’ for cooperation was started in 2010, in occasion of the ‘Italo-Senegalese Cooperation Days’, and  has been continued in the second edition of the same event in December 2012. Coordination with these actors of cooperation was strengthened thanks to the presence of decentralized cooperation and civil society as focal points in the Local Technical Unit.

At the moment, five NGO projects have been funded by the Italian cooperation in sectors such as agriculture, renewable energies, water and gender. The Italian NGOs that operate in Senegal, even without government funding, are ACRA, CISV, COSPE, COMI, CESES, WWF, LVIA, ENZO B., Green Cross Italia, MAIS. Regular meetings and continuous exchange of information favored a better coordination between the activities of NGOs and the ones of the bilateral cooperation. Furthermore, new competitive procedures, recently adopted by the DGCS, have enabled NGOs to direct their activities towards the priority sectors of the existing Italian bilateral programs, so as to favor further and new synergies.

Between 2008 and 2012, 51 projects of decentralized cooperation have been implemented in Senegal thanks to the funds provided by the Italian regions of Abruzzo, Emilia Romagna, Lazio, Lombardia, Piemonte, Sardegna, Toscana, Trentino Alto Adige, Valle d’Aosta e Veneto. An increasing number of Italian projects of decentralized cooperation in the regions of Louga and Ziguinchor have also received funds for the EU. Interesting experiences are in course in the Regions of Kaolack and Sehdiou, territory of concentration of the Italian bilateral programs. An example of new synergies are the collaboration between bank foundations, universities, NGOs and Italian Cooperation for the participation of Senegalese local administrators in study exchanges in Italy.

In the next three years, we have the intention to favor decentralized cooperation activities by co-financing specific actions, coherently with local planning programs.

4. General goals of the Italian cooperation in the country, their sharing with local stakeholders and their coherence with the international guidelines for aid effectiveness

The main goals of the Italian cooperation in Senegal is to fight against poverty through the economic empowerment of the most vulnerable people.

From a methodological point of view, Italy aims to play a coordinating role within the EU and to act as a system of multi-actor cooperation, enhancing the countries contribution.

The progressive thematic and geographical focus of the Italian programs, undertaken in 2010, will be strengthened and consolidated in the 2014-2016 Country Program. Together with the  national partner, and through a review of the lessons learned and the programs implemented, it will be possible to identify the best practices and the most important procedures and methodologies. The sectors in which Italy has focused its intervention in the current scheduling are:

1. Agriculture and Rural Development, with a € 30 million budget (Program PAPSEN “Project of support to the National Program for Investment in Agriculture – PNIA”);

2. Private sector and local economic development, with € 24.7 million (of which € 23.7 million - € 20 million loan and € 3.7 million grant - for the Program PLASEPRI “Platform to support the private sector and the enhancement of the Senegalese diaspora in Italy” and € 1 million for the Program CIDEL “Knowledge innovation and local development”);

3. Gender and social protection, for an amount of € 8.7 million (of which € 6 million for the Program PIDES “Integrated program for economic and social development” and the remaining € 2.7 million for the Program PAEF “Program to support elementary education of girls”).

The approach of the current scheduling is intended to support the fight against poverty, through the identification of mechanisms and pathways of change, including the territorial approach to the planning of development, the economic empowerment of women and youth, the support to the small farmers and to the development of the private sector. In addition to this, it has been realized a gradual strengthening of the Italian presence in the framework of the political dialogue with the counterpart, particularly on gender issues, leading to a prominent role of Italy among European donors.

Alignment: The programs of the Italian Cooperation in Senegal are realized in the framework of the Government's strategy for reduction of poverty, (National Strategy for Economic and Social Development - SNDES). The importance of the definition of a clear and coherent thematic framework is demonstrated by the fact that current programs and those already accomplished provided support to Senegalese authorities in the drafting and implementation of thematic strategies (Lettre de Politique sur la sectorielle Décentralisation, Strategie Genre, SMEs etc.). 

Gender is a cross-cutting theme to all the programs of the Italian Cooperation, and is object of specific interventions aimed at promoting the inclusion of gender issues in public policy at various levels.

The focus on the role of local authorities and of territorial planning have characterized Italian interventions. The strategy of regional developing has become one of the cornerstones of the process of economic recovery.

Ownership: The Days of the Italo-Senegalese cooperation in December 2012 reiterated the need to establish a formal mechanism for consultation with the Senegalese partners, in particular with the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF), for a joint assessment of the status of implementation of the cooperation programs. During the formulation of the new Country Program, consultations with the local counterpart are expected to take place.

5. Priority areas and expected results

The programs for the period 2014-2016, which will benefit from amounts of funds similar to those allocated in the previous country framework, will take into account the results achieved. Italian Development Cooperation will focus on three priority areas, as in the past three years:

• agriculture and rural development to improve the production and marketing of fruit and vegetables for local consumption;
• private sector and local economic development to improve access to services, social economy of proximity and innovative economy;
• gender and social protection to reduce poverty through the empowerment of women and youth and the promotion of inclusive education.

The new Country Programme will be implemented mainly through bilateral programs, both with grants and loan, managed directly by the Government of Senegal. The increased availability of loans has led to a different allocation of resources in the mentioned macro-sectors, with a commitment of approximately € 15 million in grants (for the most part intended for social protection, gender and education) and about € 30 million in loans (private sector and local economy development, agriculture and rural development).