As part of the implementation of the Agropole Centre Project, the Bureau de Mise à Niveau and the Belgian Development Agency (ENABEL) signed an agreement in 2022 aimed at “strengthening the financial,
technical, human and social capital of businesses” in the Sine Saloum province of Senegal.
This support will prepare companies in the central zone (Kaolack – Fatick – Kaffrine – Diourbel) for their move into this industrial zone currently under construction. Under the agreement, 17 companies involved in the production and processing of groundnuts, cereals and salt have benefited from BMN support.
The assistance includes various types of intervention, such as support for structuring projects and financial and technical support for making the investments they need to be competitive. More specifically, this will involve support for structuring their projects, but above all assistance in securing funding.
The results of the capitalisation study on the activities carried out under this agreement were presented on Thursday 29 February 2024 in Dakar. They show that “upgrading businesses is relevant to the priorities of the Senegalese government and ENABEL. It is in line with efforts to strengthen the competitiveness and performance of companies operating in various economic sectors. The project planning is consistent with the defined objectives. The activities, including diagnosis, financial support, and tangible and intangible investments, are in line with the programme’s vision.”
Of the twenty companies targeted, seventeen were selected and their applications approved for investments estimated at FCFA 2.6 billion, with financial support from the Bureau de Mise à Niveau of around FCFA
400 million.
This upgrading should lead to a significant increase in value addition of around CFA5 billion between 2022 and 2025 and consolidate permanent and temporary jobs.
To improve future agreements, the study suggests measures such as stepping up communication, increasing incentives, providing additional support in the search of funding, and setting up a line of credit with a bank by the Upgrading Office.
ARD/ac/fss/as/APA