Sahel

The programme places special emphasis on vulnerable populations and cross-border cooperation and operates in eight countries in the sub-region (Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea-Conakry, Mali, Niger and Senegal). The finance provided for the new phase of the project is EUR 5 502 301.

Luxembourg Development Cooperation has continued its support to the partnership between the Luxembourg Institute of Health, the Centre Hospitalier de Luxembourg, ENDA Santé, Luxembourg’s Laboratoire National de Santé and the Luxembourgish NGO Stop AIDS Now/Access, in order to improve access to diagnostics and treatment for those infected with sexually transmitted diseases in Senegal and Guinea-Bissau. This commitment in the health sector goes hand in hand with the partnership with the World Health Organization in West Africa working towards universal health coverage.

Beyond the health sector, since 2018 Luxembourg has been supporting the United Nations Food and Agriculture Office (FAO) to improve the protection of human health, food security and sustainable trade in food in Senegal and Burkina Faso. This was renewed at the end of the year, when a new phase was put in place that will also include Mali. The year 2021 also saw the continuation of the Agri+ project implemented by the NGO SOS Faim. This aims to transform financing conditions for family agriculture in Burkina Faso and Mali.

In terms of governance, Luxembourg has continued its support for the technical assistance centre in the area of building macro-economic management capacities for the International Monetary Fund. It organises seminars and immersion sessions to train officials in participating countries in public finance and good governance. Support from Luxembourg has also made it possible for training to be delivered in the financial and banking sector by ATTF/House of Training in collaboration with the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO).

In 2021, Luxembourg also actively pursued its commitment to digitisation and research. The LuxWays project, launched in October 2020 with the objective of developing cybersecurity skills in the sub-region of West Africa, has produced its first results. The project sets out to support and train 10 expert teachers/researchers to ensure that a training curriculum is put in place for local professionals with the objective of improving their employability locally. The Cheikh Anta Diop University (Dakar) and the Joseph Ki-Zerbo University (Ouagadougou) are participating as the principal universities in West Africa, with the SnT (University of Luxembourg) as the main point of contact in Luxembourg.

Its long-standing commitment in the Sahel has led Luxembourg to join the Sahel Alliance, of which it has been an active member since 2018. The Sahel Alliance seeks to improve coordination of the development cooperation actions of the various donors and to reinforce their impact on the ground.