• Senegal raised CFA180.38 billion ($316.2 million) to fund its Food Sovereignty Support Project (PASS).

• The initiative aims to strengthen local production, resilience, and climate sustainability.

• Around 2.6 million people across 10 regions are expected to benefit.

Senegal raised CFA180.38 billion ($316.2 million) to support the Food Sovereignty Support Project (PASS), Minister of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty Mabouba Diagne announced on November 5. The financing comes from a joint effort between the government and several international partners, including IFAD, the OPEC Fund, and the Italian Climate Fund.

According to the minister, the project’s goal is to strengthen the country’s food sovereignty and resilience to shocks by improving production, productivity, sustainability, and climate resilience in key value chains. Although technical details have not yet been disclosed, the initiative is expected to reach 220,000 farming households, representing about 2.6 million direct and indirect beneficiaries across 10 regions.

“Senegal is demonstrating its ability to mobilize large-scale resources for its food sovereignty,” Diagne said, as reported by the Senegalese Press Agency (APS). Strengthening agricultural production is seen as key to reducing the country’s reliance on food imports.

In its July report “The State of Commodity Dependence 2025,” the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) noted that Senegal imported an average of $1.88 billion worth of food products between 2021 and 2023.