1Purpose

The following describes USAID/Senegal’s vision for Economic Growth For All (EG4ALL) 2018-2023, an integrated investment that will aid Senegal, as a focus country under the United States Government’s (USG) Feed the Future Initiative (Feed the Future), to make further advancements along its food security and agricultural development trajectory.

The purpose of the USAID/Senegal Economic Growth For All (EG4ALL) 2018-2023 Project is to sustainably reduce poverty and undernourishment among beneficiaries (See Annex 10.2).

EG4ALL is consistent with the current Government of Senegal (GOS) medium and long-term economic and social policy framework, called the Plan Senegal Emergent (PSE). In particular, it responds to the PSE’s first thrust – structural transformation of the economy and growth.

EG4ALL will contribute to USAID/Senegal Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS) Development Goal 1: Increased Inclusive Economic Growth in the Zone of Influence (ZOI). In designing activities to achieve the purpose, the agricultural economy is recognized as the most immediate means of generating income and employment for large numbers of young people. Thus, in alignment with the U.S. Government Global Food Security Strategy (GFSS), the project builds resilience through linking efforts to accelerate agricultural growth and improve nutrition, and more deliberately to create jobs for young people and opportunities for women. Sustainable ecosystem services are also recognized as a foundation for economic growth.

EG4ALL is an essential next step in expanding a group of current activities that will improve household incomes, consumption of nutritious diets, and environmental outcomes. EG4ALL is built upon the premise that in order to sustainably reduce poverty and malnutrition, these activities must be advanced concurrently in order to ensure that each develop in a complementary or synergistic fashion. Undertaken separately, lack of one stream could undercut potential for success in others.

The approach both builds on and better integrates the current portfolio of Economic Growth Office activities, based on the following principles:

1. Market-based solutions that target youth and women for income-generating opportunities on-farm, and off-farm along the value chain (VC), while reliably supplying nutritious foods.
2. Public/private institutions, local management groups, and commercial entities, strengthened and empowered to manage proactively, based increasingly on strong data, and better linked with end-users’ market requirements.
3. Sustainable and inclusive land and water management that conserves ecosystem services and functions, while promoting viable livelihoods.
4. Policies that improve the business climate for targeted sectors, to be more inclusive of local stakeholders, and attract greater private sector investment.

The presence of a large (and increasing) population of un- and underemployed youth can be seen as both an opportunity and a threat. Therefore, youth engagement as a priority in the commercial functions of the value chains is a key focus of the project. Women’s engagement is also a priority, given women’s propensity to spill over to their families and households any social and economic gains that accrue to them (better education, enhanced nutrition, etc.).

Wherever possible the project will take a ‘service development’ view to value chain functions as a key to sustainability. There will be a strong focus on commercially viable products and services derived from scalable local solutions that add value and enhance competitiveness. These will build on existing systems and opportunities resulting in effective local actors, institutions, and systems. Environmental sustainability will be addressed in all activities, from resilient agricultural practices to better fish stock management.

At the end of EG4ALL there will be in place a more strongly integrated innovation system that is better able to exploit its potential to contribute to economic growth, employment, and food security in an environmentally sustainable way.  This system will link public and private sectors and be founded on a growing, dynamic, network of Micro, Small, Medium Enterprise (MSMEs) offering essential business services in response to market needs.  Small farm productivity, profitability, and sustainability will grow based on improved availability of inputs, markets, and services.