strong country, weak economy: senegal is now the strongest and most stable francophone country in sub-saharan africa but the economy does not do justice to this status. the reasons for the declining economic performance are hard to fathom but fathomed the

The International Monetary Fund once considered Senegal a typical economy, but today the country is about to join the United Nations list of least developed countries (LDCs).
Unlike many other parts of Africa, it is difficult to explain exactly why the country\'s wealth has declined.
It has not suffered a massive war or a series of coups, and the value of key commodities has not completely collapsed.
It is true that separatists in the Casamance region have hindered efforts to stimulate the tourism sector, while the dangerous combination of drought and flooding is damaging the growth of the agricultural sector, however, it is difficult to get rid of the feeling that Senegal should do better.
Most indicators of human development are comparable to African countries with much lower GDR per capita, and the level of illiteracy remains at 60%--
Above many African countries-
The per capita intake is lower than in most parts of the mainland.
Senegal received about 70 [euro]
In the form of international assistance, 15% per cent of GDP is population-based. The 70 [euro]
This figure is higher than the per capita level in Africa, and it is surprising that Senegal is neither the poorest 50% countries in Africa nor the most unstable.
Former Prime Minister Ramin Lahn said there was a lack of economic progress as political confrontation paralyzed the reform process.
He said: \"After we have achieved 1988 success, our gradual economic improvement has been brutally stopped due to the problems arising from the presidential and legislative elections.
Unfortunately, this disastrous period lasted from 1989 to 1993.
\"The devaluation of the CFA franc in 1994 also appears to have had a huge impact, doubling national debt while reducing purchasing power by half.
Senegal is a typical West African country, and while it is located on the far western edge of West Africa and on the edge of the Sahara countries, it is a typical West African country with drought in the south and north.
It also has a standard colonial heritage developed as a base for gold, ivory and slave trade.
The colonial division led to a rather odd regional division between France and the UK, but Senegal tried to undo the division when it formed the Senegambian alliance with neighbouring Gambia.
It was an interesting idea, but the alliance failed in 1989.
It rarely makes international headlines due to the relative political stability of Senegal, but the visit of US President George w. Bush
In July 2003, Bush focused world media on the United States.
President Bush held talks with Seven West African leaders in Senegal\'s capital Dakar, and Liberia\'s future will dominate the talks.
S. president rarely visits submarines
But when they do, it\'s often English-speaking, so it\'s a surprise for Bush to stay in Senegal.
While President Senegal du Diouf\'s Socialist party has been in power for 40 years after independence, Senegal has always been a democracy.
Compared with many other African countries, the tradition of democracy is rooted in this country more deeply, and the power change that took place in March 2000 was one of the few, albeit growing, countries, examples of peaceful change in African leaders and political parties.
The country\'s father, Leopold senhall, voluntarily gave up power in 1980 20 years after taking power, and Diouf also took office for 20 years.
President Wade, the successor of Diouf, led the Democratic Party of Senegal (SDP)
After years of hard work, it finally gained power in 2000 and stayed in prisons and government several times.
SDP, following Wade\'s 2000 victory, won an absolute majority in the National Assembly in April 2001.
Wade is keen to present himself on the international stage and has actively launched several initiatives to promote African development.
His Omega program was later combined with the Millennium Africa initiative to form a new Africa initiative.
Although this has brought him international recognition, many Senegalese hope that he will spend more time focusing on Senegal\'s problems.
On November 2002, following public protests by the government to deal with the Jola Feili disaster, Wald decided to fire his entire cabinet, and the country\'s political stability was undermined.
As many as 1,800 people were killed when the Joola sank at sea.
The ferry is allowed to transport only 550 passengers, up to 6 hours from the coast, although the disaster is estimated to be 11 hours from the coast.
After the disaster, President Wade asked all the people to change their attitude towards work and life.
Members of the rescue department, who were supposed to be on duty when the ferry sank, but they were not on the post and rescue attempts were not flooded for at least eight hours.
Wade said the slack was so common that he called for a change in the country\'s character.
\"We all have to look deeply at ourselves, because the heart of this disaster is based on our relaxed attitude, and when we tolerate situations where we know they are dangerous,\" he said, we lack strict responsibility and revenge because we can make a profit from it.
\"The main reason for the separatist riots in Senegal\'s political instability is the struggle of the Democratic Movement of Casamance (MDC)
To preserve the independence of the country-
The Senegal blockbuster in southern Gambia.
Fighting and instability have prompted thousands of people to flee abroad, particularly in neighbouring Guinea. Bissau.
In March 2001, Wade signeda reached a peace agreement with a number of the Casamance rebel groups, but the split and realliance of the rebel groups meant minor progress.
In a battle on January, four government soldiers and 30 rebel soldiers were killed in casamans and suspended for six months.
The main economic impact of conflict on tourism.
Senegal is particularly popular with French, Belgian and other French-speaking tourists for 700 km of its sandy beaches, but due to concerns about the safety of tourism in the Casamance region, the number of tourists has declined this year.
Cap Skirting is one of the country\'s main resorts that has suffered a decline in numbers, located in Casamance, but has not had much trouble in the 20 years of the conflict.
The strongest and most stable in Africa?
Despite the conflict, Senegal is now the strongest and most stable country in French-speaking countries.
The coup d\' état in Côte d\'Ivoire and sub-Saharan Africa after the Civil War.
Most forms of infrastructure are relatively developed and services account for 57% of GDP, which is a high figure for a developing country, but this may be due to the size of the public sector.
The primary sector accounts for only 20% of GDP, although it employs the majority in the form of peanut cultivation and accounts for most foreign income.
During the 1960 s and 1970 s, economic policy was centred on state-owned enterprises, but typical structural adjustment programmes for the 1980 s followed closely.
More far-reaching economic reforms were carried out in the subsequent 1990 + years, and the current relationship with IMFare is mainly a commitment to reduce dependence on foreign aid and reduce the number of civil servants and public expenditure.
Other policy initiatives include the development of a code of investment to attract foreign investors, but there is still a lot of red tape for foreign companies\' investment.
Compared with most African countries receiving international monetary fund drug treatment, there are fewer lists of state-owned companies proposing privatization, and the main ones expected to be sold are tourism, electricity and agriculture companies.
Industry Sector.
State-owned enterprises dominate the construction industry and the electricity industry, providing more industrial production, but the two industries are still heavily subsidized.
The country has joined the African economic union. UEMOA)
In 2000, in order to encourage regional trade, although it is expected to take some time to coordinate tariffs.
President Wade announced a series of major infrastructure projects, but all of them depend on foreign private investment, given the IMF\'s reluctance to support them.
Senegal has made considerable efforts to reduce the debt of countries currently accounting for about 70% of GDP. Around two-
The third part of these debts is owed to multinational creditors headed by the International Monetary Fund, so good relations with multilateral institutions are as important here as elsewhere in Africa.
Debt reduction package under heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC)
The initiative was agreed with IMF in June 2000, but it depends on the completion of the poverty reduction programme. A BROAD-
Today, China\'s economy is still based on agriculture, especially the production of cotton and peanuts, but China\'s economic base is wider than many other countries in the region.
Fish, phosphate and refined petroleum products are also the main export products. China has a large amount of iron ore resources, but these resources have been developed in large quantities.
There are some industrial activities, mainly related to agriculture.
Peanut processing and other industries, domestic consumption of some cotton production.
In terms of employment, most Senegalese continue to rely on peanut production.
Cotton has been introduced over the past 20 years, but due to irregular rainfall, production has been hindered and production has not yet reached the level of dry countries such as Mali or bukinafaso.
The international prices of peanuts vary, but the prices of thousands of small-scale peanut farms in the country are fixed at the CFA120 ($0. 20)
Union of Agricultural Cooperatives in Senegal per kilogram ,(UNCAS).
However, since independence, the relative stability that the government\'s control over the agency seems to be changing, and the government plans to remove subsidies and privatize key semi-official institutions.
Estimated subsidy costs by the CFA65bn government ($100m)
The industry has been losing money in the second year.
State-owned company Sonagraines, which collects production and distributes it to processing plants, has stopped trading, while long-time acquisition of the production of peanut marketing semi-official company Sonacos from local farmers has been included in the privatization list.
Now farmers have to ship their own peanuts to the processing plant and Sonacosno no longer guarantees to buy all the products.
Wade said he believes the reform will improve the production efficiency of the peanut sector and also improve the conditions of farmers, but few peanut farmers share his enthusiasm, and the National Peanut Association is worried about the income of farmers.
Widespread criticism of government policies has led to the launch of soil improvement and irrigation programs to help farmers increase their production.
The invasion of Senegalese waters by European fishing boats has raised concerns about the collapse of fish stocks, but the government has tried to ban all foreign vessels from entering the area until the exact waters of the local vessels are determined.
In 1997, the EU paid the government of Senegal the fishing rights of € 48 m.
2001 but the decline in fish resources prompted the government to refuse to extend the agreement to more than 2002.
The future of many rural communities is threatened by deserts, drought, falling commodity prices and population growth.
Until 2003, the agricultural sector in the North suffered drought for three consecutive years.
While economic crops produced in the region account for a small proportion of the country, the labor costs caused by drought are high and the prices of imported rice and other foods are also rising.
Many people were forced to move to the coast to find a job.
In the long run, the ongoing process of deserting threatens the continuation of human habitation in the north, especially as evidence of a further gathering of the Sahara retreat in eastern West Africa, where Senegal or Mauritius have not yet appeared
Last year\'s drought prompted the government to call for international aid, but Wade later called the call unnecessary and fired his communications adviser, Sharif elwaleed sayye, on the matter.
Over the past 30 years, rainfall appears to be on a downward trend while becoming more volatile.
Heavy rains at the end of August caused severe flooding on the Baikal River, destroying crops and villages.
While the floods are not as devastating as they were in 1999, it is believed that the cost of human beings and the impact on agricultural production are enormous.
The government has banned mining in 233 protected areas in the country, mainly to protect tree cover.
Mining and quarrying companies operating in protected areas will be encouraged to withdraw.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Senegal lost more than 1990 hectares of forest in 45,000-2000 years.
Wade promised to reverse this trend, with the government claiming to recover 30,000 hectares of land each year, although it was not possible to verify the numbers and not check in the critical early stages of life, how the newly planned trees are taken care.
With increased environmental problems and irregular rainfall, it may not be surprising that countries like Senegal, which rely on agricultural exports, are slow to grow.
The tourism sector seems to offer the best long-term hope for GDP growth, but finding a solution to the Casamance issue is crucial.
Driving development plans doesn\'t always require a full-scale civil war, and even the threat of turmoil can stop investment, especially in volatile industries like tourism.
Like many African countries, cashing in cashew nuts, Senegal often finds itself in the trap of exporting raw materials, whose value is declining year by year in the international market.
Years ago, peanuts, the country\'s main cash crop, became such a money loser for governments and exporters that the economic lives of millions of farmers were in chaos.
However, there is a bright spot: Senegal also produces 15,000 tons of cashew nuts per year.
Although raw cashew nuts, like other cash crops, have reduced market prices, processed finished cashew nuts (orkernels)are a high-
Luxury goods worth $1. 75 to $2. 25 perpound (
$3,850 to $5,000 per ton)
In the international market.
The trick is to process nuts and export finished products at home, which not only gives investors a decent return, but also brings living wages to hundreds of Senegalese workers, as cashew processing is a very labor-intensive
Before 2001, almost all of Senegal\'s cashew products were exported in raw form.
Since then, a home
Under a project sponsored by the United States Agency for International Development and implemented by Global Enterprise Engineering, the growing processing industry has taken root
Profitable organizations that fight poverty through small business development programs.
Iseworks implements similar cashew nut processing projects in neighboring Guinea
Plan to expand to a few-
In the near future, Conakry, Chada and Tanzania may travel to Gambia, Benin and Nigeria.
Why not in Africa?
I have tried cashew processing in Africa before.
Earlier, most of the efforts in countries such as Mozambique, Tanzania and Côte d\'Ivoire failed.
The failure of most African processing has led to almost a monopoly in India.
Indian traders bought most of Africa\'s raw nut products and shipped them to India for processing.
Export to consumer countries and the country\'s own products labeled \"Made in India.
But why is processing feasible in India rather than Africa?
The key is to control the cost, which is already mastered by Indian processors.
Investment in fixed costs, such as construction and equipment, must be minimal, which means, ironically, the most successful factorytech--
Use affordable technology made locally.
Cashew nut processing is the ideal half
Manual operation because the delicate kernel must be removed from a hard curved shell.
Mechanization can lead to high percentage breakage, greatly reducing the market value of finished products.
As with any luxury goods, cashew nuts are highly demanding in terms of quality.
Not only should the kernel be complete, but it should not be burnt or contaminated with caustic shell oil for a good price.
The traditional way in which cashews bombard Africa is often unable to export, therefore, in addition to the appropriate equipment, professional training is essential for the production of products that meet international quality standards.
Shopiseworks trains Senegal enterprises to process cashew nuts in accordance with international standards.
The company also trains local metal-processing enterprises to produce the equipment they need, such as Shell-removing machines, steam engines, sorting machines and ovens.
In addition, ThoughtWorks teaches entrepreneurs ways to successfully market their products, including attractive, hygienic packaging and labeling;
Development of retail distribution networkproperpricing;
And international exchanges.
Senegal\'s new cashew processing industry began by occupying part of a considerable domestic market in Dakar, which is close to Banjul, Gambia.
So far, most of the processing enterprises are small-scale, with 10 to 20 employees per enterprise.
There is a rich supply of raw nuts, the market is open to large investors who can produce for the export market, and the export market usually deals with the number of one or more shipping containers (
14 metric tons of kernel)at a time.
Enterprise works has an \"investor case handling guide\" for large businesses\"
Enterprises of scale and enterprises of scale.
The organization is prepared to provide technical information to investors, such as start-
Rising costs, profitability analysis, historical prices of raw nuts and fruit kernels, and information from major importing countries.
Capital: Dakar: 196,720 square kilometers population: 101.
1 m leading religion: unit of Islamic currency: CFA (
African Financial Association)