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                      Republic of Senegal - Country Partnership Strategy

                                   CHAIR’S SUMMING UP ∗

                               Meeting of the Executive Directors

                                           February 19, 2013


      Executive Directors discussed the joint IDA/IFC/MIGA Country Partnership Strategy for
the Republic of Senegal for the period of FY2013-2017 (IDA/R2013-0011[IFC/R2013-0017,
MIGA/R2013-0005]) and agreed that it is aligned with the Government’s National Strategy for
Economic and Social Development.

       Directors welcomed the focus on strong governance and sound government
accountability as the strategy’s foundation and the proposed pillars of improving service delivery
and laying the ground for accelerated economic growth. The Directors encouraged the current
government to improve transparency and public accountability, and to maintain reform
momentum and implement prior commitments. The importance of managing vulnerabilities -
through disaster risk management and strong fragility assessments - was also emphasized.

        Directors also underscored the critical need for stronger, inclusive growth to reduce
poverty, create jobs, and achieve the Millennium Development Goals. In this regard, they
highlighted the importance of increasing agricultural productivity and took note of the intentions
to ensure women benefited from improved agricultural technologies. More broadly, Directors
called for continued attention to gender challenges and to population growth.

        Directors encouraged the government to accelerate reforms in the energy sector and
looked forward to meaningful and timely progress to improve the investment climate. Toward
this end, they recognized the need to leverage additional resources to address infrastructure gaps
and, thus, encouraged the active engagement of IFC and MIGA. More broadly, Directors called
for an integrated World Bank Group strategy together with other donors to support private sector
development. Selectivity, and sequencing of reforms, were also encouraged.

        The importance of maintaining a solid macroeconomic policy framework and a stronger
fiscal balance was underscored, so as to support improved service delivery. In this regard,
Directors encouraged the strategy’s focus on stronger budget execution, improved access and
accountability in the education and health sectors. Directors also expressed concern over the
rapid re-accumulation of debt and urged that debt management receive due attention.

        Finally, Directors emphasized working closely with other development partners, building
a strong monitoring and evaluation system, and providing critical advisory services and capacity
building to assist the authorities in implementing their strategy. In this light, the effective use of
Knowledge hubs to support South-South learning and fragility analysis in the Casamance was
particularly encouraged.


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 This summary is not an approved record.