Abstract
AbstractThis chapter presents the main areas of engagement of the state of Senegal with its diaspora. In the first part, it looks at the main institutions and policies geared towards the diaspora. In the second part, the chapter focuses specifically on diaspora policies in the area of social protection (unemployment, health care, family benefits, pensions, guaranteed minimum resources). If Senegal falls in the category of pioneer countries for some aspects of emigration policies (ministerial institutions, external voting, political representation), its policy for the diaspora in the field of social protection is rather scanty. As a developing country facing many structural economic issues, scaling up social protection in the homeland remains the top priority for the Government, relegating social protection for the diaspora as a secondary policy concern for now. Recent governmental policies towards the diaspora have focused primarily on tapping the resources of the diaspora in order to increase its contribution to economic development and facilitate productive investment by Senegalese abroad in their home country.
Highlights
With a population of Senegalese abroad approaching one million for a total population of 15 millions, Senegal is unquestionably an emigration country
The High Council is composed of: (1) members elected among Senegalese residing abroad duly registered with the Senegalese embassy and members of associations of Senegalese abroad duly recognized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or by the host country and; (2) members appointed by the President of the Republic13
As a Member State of both the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU), Senegal has signed the treaties and protocols of both institutions allowing for the free circulation and settlement of citizens from each Member State in all others Member States
Summary
With a population of Senegalese abroad approaching one million for a total population of 15 millions, Senegal is unquestionably an emigration country. The main destination countries in Europe comprise France (around 110,000), Italy (80,000) and Spain (60,000); in West Africa, mostly Gambia (100,000), Mauritania (40,000) and the Ivory Coast (20,000); in Central and Southern Africa, Gabon (20,000), Congo (10,000) and South Africa (5,000); in North Africa and the Middle East, Morocco (10.000); in North America, the United States of America (20,000) and Canada (5,000) (Lessault and Mezger 2010; Smith 2015b; Ndione 2019). Senegalese emigration is sociologically heterogeneous, combining historical flows of labour migration (industrial sector in France and Southern Europe, mining sector in West and Central Africa- see Bredeloup 1993; Beauchemin et al 2014) in the 1960s and 1970s, followed by petty trade and informal sector (virtually everywhere, see Ebin and Lake 1990), student and highly-skilled migration (mainly in France, and Switzerland, Belgium, North America, Morocco, or Asia- see Bava and Pliez 2009), and religious endeavours (Mboup 2001; Tandian 2008; Dia 2014; Berriane 2015)
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