President Wade: "Happy economic new year!!"

Senegal's President Abdoulaye Wade used his New Year's Eve message to the county to highlight bold economic initiatives out of the daunting climate of the last year. Noting the "off budget" expenditures that the World Bank found fault with, President Wade still claimed that Senegal was the World Bank's highest rated economy.

The president pointed to the launching of Air Teranga, a Senegalese airline, new universities at St. Louis and Kedougou, and the regional port facilities with free market zones and surface connections to Mali and elsewhere in the region. Other infrastructure lurches fitfully ahead at the turn of the year. "If I were to list these projects, it would take much time, I gave instructions to ministers to publish a table with a list of infrastructure to be carried out in 2009" he said. Of course, the World Bank in its requirements to put Senegal back on its approved list required that the country list all such major projects--necessary to get a grip on the off-budget spending and commitments...

It was a detailed speech with a certain Senegalese optimism throughout. The president didn't shy from most of the nation's problems: high gas prices, energy outages, food insecurity. But he was able to point to activities to deal with the problems, especially in the area of agriculture. Fortuitous good harvests help, too. But so do tractors from India and increasing sophistication in the country's animal husbandry... Recent riots in the hinterlands were largely ignored however...

President Wade looks for better GOANA harvest

Six months after President Abdoulaye Wade launched his agricultural growth initiative, Senegal is predicting record harvests for 2008. Good news for Senegal and its president, both of which were battered by food shortages over the last year.

“The Grand Agricultural Offensive for Food Security” or GOANA, was launched by President Wade in May 2008. It aims for Senegal’s self-sufficiency in food production by 2015. Goals include doubling rice production, and increasing maize and manioc yields.

According to IRIN, Senegal imports 600,000 tons of rice a year, or three-quarters of the country’s food consumption, making its people vulnerable to high global rice prices, especially when energy costs boost transportation costs.

Six months into GOANA, the Ministry of Agriculture predicts a harvest of 1.8 million tons of cereal—a 136 percent increase over last year’s yields—700,000 tons of millet, 500,000 tons of maize and 380,000 tons of non-irrigated rice in 2008.

Thousands of supporters, farmers and members of agricultural organizations gathered opposite the presidential palace in Dakar October 27 to showcase harvests of peanuts, fonio, rice, millet, bananas and vegetables.

But according to the IRIN report, good rains may have had more to do with the higher yields than the government subsidized seeds or farm equipment that some farmers say didn’t reach them until past the planting season.

Still, it is a good start to the President’s worthy effort.