LE BRIEF

Senegal: a $190 million programme to help small businesses scale up

LE BRIEF • 2026-11-09

The World Bank-backed programme has a total budget of $190 million after $65 million in additional financing. Implementation is scheduled to continue until the end of 2027.

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Senegal is drawing on a $190 million programme to strengthen the competitiveness and growth of small and medium-sized businesses. Backed by the World Bank, the mechanism combines business support, access to finance and improvements to the business environment. The figure is the programme’s total budget, increased to that level through $65 million in additional financing. It is not an entirely new allocation announced in November. Implementation has been extended until 31 December 2027. Removing barriers to growth Scaling up requires more than occasional access to credit. Technology adoption, management quality and the ability to meet new customers’ requirements also determine a small business’s development prospects. Technical support and guarantee mechanisms can help make investment more accessible. The strategy seeks to connect business capacity-building with private capital mobilisation. It draws in particular on the work of the national SME development agency and the priority investment guarantee fund, which address complementary needs. Strengthening industrial value chains Developing a robust supplier base matters across industry. In energy, maintenance, logistics and mining services, major customers need companies capable of meeting technical standards and financing their operations. The programme’s overall budget does not establish an allocation reserved exclusively fo...