1 Senegal Country Profile

1 Senegal Country Profile

Senegal Country Profile 

Senegal Country Map

"Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal is a country in West Africa. Senegal is externally bounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the west,Mauritania to the north, Mali to the east, and Guinea and Guinea-Bissau to the south; internally it almost completely surrounds the Gambia, namely on the north, east and south, except for Gambia's short Atlantic coastline. Senegal covers a land area of almost 197,000 square kilometres (76,000 sq mi), and has an estimated population of about 13 million." - Source: Wikipedia (publisher), Senegal, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senegal, 12Aug2013.

For a generic country overview, please consult the following sources:

Wikipedia Information on Senegal

IMF Information on Senegal

Humanitarian Info:

World Food Programme Information on Senegal

UNOCHA Information on Senegal

Facts and Figures:

Wolfram Alpha Information on Senegal

World Bank Information on Senegal

World Population Review Information on Senegal

1.1 Senegal Humanitarian Background

Senegal Humanitarian Background

Disasters, Conflicts and Migration

Natural Disasters

Yes / No

Comments / Details

Drought

 Yes Drought is also a major potential source of disaster, since rainfall is highly variable as we proceed towards the north. For instance, the country regularly experienced drought in the recent years.

Earthquakes

 - -

Epidemics

 Yes As in many other African countries, Senegal is regularly struck by cholera and yellow fever. From January 2002 to October 2005, W.H.O. reported not less than 9 outbreaks of yellow fever and 12 outbreaks of cholera in the country.

Extreme Temperatures

 Yes Last incident , in May 2013, 18 people died in Matam because of the extreme heat ( 50 degrees and more)

Flooding

 Yes Occurs every year. The phenomenon of ‘Heug’ is also worth mentioning. It is a Wolof term referring to rainfalls occurring off season, as those that hit the entire territory on January 9th-10th 2002, as shown on the map. These rains are sometimes associated with strong winds and floods.

Insect Infestation

 Yes As other sahelian countries, Senegal is prone to locusts invasion. Between 1988 and 2004, at least 7 regions have been affected by this calamity

Mudslides

 - -

Volcanic Eruptions

 - -

High Waves / Surges

 - -

Wildfires

 - -

High Winds

 Yes Floods and storms are also a potential hazard threatening Senegal: more than 70 fishermen were missing after a tropical storm (Cindy) struck off the southern coast of the country in 1999, killing at least 16 persons.

Other Comments

World Health Organisation Information on Senegal

Man-Made Issues

Civil Strife

 Yes With the problems and violence ongoing in Mali and Nigeria, Senegal is exposed to a higher risk of spreading of instability and extremism. A recent report of ISS (institute of studies on security) mentions that there is a more radical movement taking place the Mosque of Senegal. With the Malian crisis, instability and actions of radical’s movement can affect Senegal. The authorities are monitoring the situation closely.

International Conflict

 n/a -

Internally Displaced Persons

 n/a -

Refugees Present

 n/a -

Landmines / UXO Present

 n/a -

Other Comments

-

For more detailed database on disasters by country, please see the Centre for Research on Epidemiology of Disasters:

http://www.emdat.be/country-profile

Calamities and Seasonal Affects

Seasonal Affects on Transport

Transport

Comments

From (month) to (month)

Primary Road Transport

 There is a major religious event in Senegal occurring in the month of February, when people from all over the country travel to the city of Touba for the great Magal. During this period, traffic on Senegalese roads is quite intense, especially on the stretch from Dakar to Touba, via Thiès and Djourbel. Trucks drivers should therefore exercise caution to avoid accidents. From Febuary

Secondary Road Transport

 Unpaved roads, especially in rural areas, are hard to access during the rainy season. This can be explained by the condition of these roads which are usually sandy as in the region of Fatick or rocky and muddy as in the region of Kédougou. From July

Rail Transport

 There is no major seasonal effect on the rail transport also because rail transport is not really exploited. The main Rail line rely Dakar port with Mali From January

Air Transport

 The visibility can be affected by the Harmattan. Airport congestion during Hadj period From December

Waterway Transport

 The main port of Dakar is open throughout the year and is not seriously affected by any seasonal effect. From January

Seasonal Affects on Storage and Handling (economic, social, climate…)

Activity

Comments

From <month> to <month>

Storage

Rainy season can affect storage if the warehouse is not in good state

From June

Handling

During rainy season handling of goods became problematic as operation (as port handling) will slow down during rains

From June

Other

n/a

 

For other cities in the Country see: http://www.weather-and-climate.com

For average temperatures, please see the following document: Senegal Dakar average temperature_21Mar2013

For average rainfall, please see the following document: Senegal Dakar average rainfall_21Mar2013

Capacity and Contacts for In-Country Emergency Response

Government

In case of emergency in Senegal, the Ministry of Interior plays, through the Department of Civil Protection (DPC) and the Plan ORSEC (Senegal's national emergency plan), a central role in the coordination of emergency response operations. The Commissariat à la Sécurité Alimentaire (CSA) is also involved in emergency response. It is a government cell, composed of militaries and civilians. It is placed under the management of the Ministry of Family, of National Solidarity, of Feminine Enterprise and Micro Finance.  The mandate of the CSA is to ensure food security within the country, by providing food assistance to affected population.

The government is doing efforts to prevent emergencies when it is possible; some recurrent situations are predictable like floods, they occur each year during the rainy season. DPC has a Matrix of preparation prior to the rainy season (cleaning of the evacuation canals, maintenance of water pumps system etc). There is also a new Ministry created in 2012 dedicated to the management and the implementation of a project to avoid annual floods and the flow of affected people caused by it. The Ministry is relocating the population leaving in the flooding sectors in order to rehabilitate the water evacuation system in the more affected areas of the city. The project already started and aims to eliminate flooding problems in the future.

The Plan Orsec will be activated by the Government only if the State resources are not sufficient to answer the emergency.

For information on Senegal Government Contact details see the following link: 4.1 Senegal Government Contact List

For the Embassies and Consulates present in Senegal please see: http://embassy.goabroad.com/embassies-in/senegal

Humanitarian Community

Senegal host a lot of NGO’s and UN agency regional offices. The humanitarian community is used to support emergencies in the Sahel region. Logistically, the Country private sector is strong. There is a lot of reliable transport companies and there are private and state owned warehouses (CSA) available to rent everywhere in the country. IFRC has a regional NFI warehouse in Dakar where they have a stock for NFI to cover 5000 families. They also have an 18TM truck and a reserve of 10 vehicles ready to be deployed anywhere in the Sahel and in Golf of Guinea region.

UNHCR have their NFI contingency stock in Accra and it’s ready to be sent anywhere needed. WFP also has regional stock ready to be deployed in Accra through the UNHRD.They also have 4 mobile storage units in Senegal. In 2012, The Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) has given US$7 million to four UN agencies to provide emergency food aid for most food insecure people in Senegal.

For information on Senegal Government Contact details see the following link: 4.2 Senegal Humanitarian Agency Contact List

For additional Information on Senegal Humanitarian Community, please see the following document: Senegal Humanitarian Background additional Information

'Note: The information provided in the attached document, which has been taken from the old DLCA, does not match the structure of the new LCA and is therefore provided separately.'

1.2 Senegal Regulatory Narrative

Senegal Regulatory Narrative

For details on Government Regulatory Agencies, please see the following link: 4.1 Senegal Government Contact List

 

1.3 Senegal Customs Information

Senegal Customs Information

Decree 83504 of 17 May 1983 article 24 and 25 exonerates all the food aid intended for the state of Senegal. In case of Emergency the Government of Senegal grants to UN Agencies and NGOs exemption from taxes and duties on materials, equipment, facilities and services imported or purchased on the national territory for carrying out their programs with the exception of fuels and lubricants.

For details on Senegal customs information, please see the following link: Senegal Customs Administration

Duties and Tax Exemption

Information on duties and tax exemption unavailable.

For contact information regarding government custom authorities, please follow the link below: 4.1 Senegal Government Contact List

Emergency Response:

Agreements / Conventions Description

Ratified by Country?

(Yes / No)

WCO (World Customs Organization) member

Yes 10Mar1976

Annex J-5 Revised Kyoto Convention

Yes 21Mar2006 

OCHA Model Agreement

-

Tampere Convention (on the Provision of Telecommunication Resources for Disaster Mitigation and Relief Operations)

Yes 20Nov1998

Regional Agreements (on emergency/disaster response, but also customs unions, regional integration)

-

Exemption Regular Regime (Non-Emergency Response): 

Decree 83504 of 17 May 1983 article 24 and 25 exonerates all the food aid intended for the state of Senegal. In case of Emergency the Government of Senegal grants to UN Agencies and NGOs exemption from taxes and duties on materials, equipment, facilities and services imported or purchased on the national territory for carrying out their programs with the exception of fuels and lubricants. Code des Douanes du Sénégal : Law N° 87-47, 28 December 1987

These two mechanisms also facilitate the customs clearance during Emergencies: DEP: Déclaration d’enlèvement provisoire et APE, Autorisation provisoire d’enlèvement, are simplified declarations that allowed in case of Emergency to the economic actor, to retrieve the imported material from the custom and regularize it within 15 days.

Organizational Requirements to obtain Duty Free Status

United Nations Agencies

As per the agreement signed with the Government of  Senegal, UN Agencies are exempted from all Import/Export taxes, including the VAT. However, a waiver should be obtained from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Non Governmental Organizations

The Government of Senegal grants to NGOs exemption from taxes and duties on materials, equipment, facilities and services imported or purchased on the national territory for carrying out their programs with the exception of fuels and lubricants.  The Government of Senegal grants to NGOs temporary tax and custom free use of vehicles acquired locally or imported for the implementation of their programs and the exemption of the annual tax on vehicles (vignette).

 The tax and customs that the host agreement entitles are those related to the implementation of investment program signed between the government and NGOs.  The objects and personal effects being used for more than six (06) months of non-Senegalese officials of NGOs, their spouses and family members are admitted free of duties and taxes of equivalent effect. This exemption is granted within a period not exceeding six (06) months from the date of first installation

Exemption Certificate Application Procedure: 

Duties and Taxes Exemption Application Procedure

Generalities (include a list of necessary documentation)

To get the exemption, the concerned persons must produce in support of their declaration of import:

  1. A certificate of residence change signed by the consulate or the embassy of the country of origin;
  2. Aan inventory retailed of the effects, dated and signed by their care, accompanied by a certified attestation by which, they declare that the objects belong to them;
  3. An attestation of service  delivered by the NGO that uses them.

Process to be followed (step by step or flowchart)

For NGO’S:

  1. The NGO should be registered by the Government
  2. The NGO should present an investment plan to determine its  intention and needs in importation during its stay in the Country ( a list must be include with value of material and quantity).
  3. The plan has to be approved by the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Interior.
  4. Once approved the plan can be sent to the customs and the material approved by the Government will be exempted of taxes.

For UN agency:

  1. The UN agency must have a Headquarter Agreement with the Government/ Ministry of Foreign Affairs
  2. The exemption request has to be address to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
  3. In each importation, the Agency must provide the follow documents: Verbal note, invoice, and TE, Exemption Title fill and signed by the Agency.

Note: Each Government/organisation agreement is different. So the exemption conditions can vary from an organisation to another.

Exemption Certificate Document Requirements

Information regarding exemption certificate document requirements unavalible

Customs Clearance

For information regarding customs details, please see the following link: Senegal Customs Information

General Information 

Customs Information

Document Requirements

n/a

Embargoes

n/a

Prohibited Items

n/a

General Restrictions

Fuel and lubricants

Customs Clearance Document Requirements

 

Customs Clearance Document Requirements (by commodity)

 

Food

NFI

(Shelter, WASH, Education)

Medicines

Vehicles

&

Spare Parts

Staff

& Office Supplies

Telecoms Equipment

D&T Exemption Certificate

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

Invoice

X

X

X

X

X

X

AWB/BL/Other Transport Documents

X

X

X

X

X

X

Donation/Non-Commercial Certificates

X

X

X

X

X

X

Packing Lists

X

X

X

X

X

X

Phytosanitary Certificate

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

DIPA

X

 -

 

 - - - -
ARTP Authorisation - - - - - X
Visa from General SEN Pharmacy - - X - - -
BSC (Bordereau de suivi de cargaison) X X X X X X

Additional Notes
 

Transit Regime

For Food Aid directed to other CO passing trough Senegal, usually the transit procedure is chosen. The receiving CO, must assure that on the B/L accompanying the Cargo is stated “Cargo in transit to…”  In this way the receiving CO will pay only for the handling fees at Dakar Port (usually lower than for food direct to Senegal) and will obtain a Custom escort until the border. Then all the Custom Clearance procedures will be executed with the custom authorities of the receiving country. Normally neither Senegal Country Office nor Regional Bureau are involved in this procedure, as the operation is carried out by the Forwarding Agent charged by WFP receiving CO.

For information on Senegal Customs Information by Entry Points, please see the following document: Senegal Customs Information by Entry Points Additional Information

'Note: The information provided in the attached document, which has been taken from the old LCA, does not match the structure of the new LCA and is therefore provided separately.'