Universal access to electricity: 998 billion FCFA in commitments for the 2029 objective

Senegal intends to accelerate the achievement of universal access to electricity by 2029.

To this end, the Ministry of Energy and Oil brought together, on Tuesday October 6, 2026, its technical and financial partners as well as private sector stakeholders around a round table devoted to the mobilization of financing. The commitments announced on this occasion reached 998 billion FCFA, far exceeding the estimated needs.

Under the vision of the President of the Republic, Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar Faye, the government wants to take a new step in the country’s electrification policy. The Minister of Energy and Oil, El Hadji Abdourahmane Diouf, co-chaired, with the Minister of Economy, Finance and Planning, Cheikh Diba, a round table devoted to accelerating universal access to electricity.

The stated objective is to guarantee access to electricity for every Senegalese by 2029. An ambition which requires intensifying investments, particularly in areas not yet served.

According to data presented by the ministry, the national rate of access to electricity stood at 86.2% at the end of 2024. Of the 25,725 localities identified in Senegal, 12,683 are already electrified, while 6,571 are covered by projects in progress.

There remain 6,471 localities to cover, or nearly a million Senegalese. To take this last step, the financial needs were initially estimated at nearly 400 billion FCFA.

Commitments far in excess of needs

The round table made it possible to register significant financial commitments from the various partners. As technical and financial partners, 181 billion FCFA were announced for the realization of new electrification projects.

The private sector also mobilized strongly, with commitments announced to the tune of 817 billion FCFA. In total, 998 billion FCFA are the subject of commitments, an amount well above the estimated needs to ensure coverage of the remaining localities.

In addition to these commitments, there are several offers from the private sector received online, which should help to further strengthen the financing capacities of electrification projects.

For the government, this mobilization reflects the interest of technical and financial partners and private investors in Senegal’s ambition in terms of universal access to electricity.

A priority for territorial equity

Beyond electrical infrastructure, universal access is presented as a lever for social justice, territorial equity and economic transformation. Covering localities still without electricity should make it possible to improve the living conditions of the populations and encourage the development of economic activities in the territories.

With the commitments announced during this round table, Senegal now has significant financial room to accelerate its projects and move closer to its objective of universal access to electricity in 2029.

CGD