SENEGAL - Towards a law for the economic empowerment of Women

Economic empowerment of women is a fundamental pillar to guarantee inclusive and sustainable development

As part of its international, continental, and regional commitments — notably the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 5), the African Union’s Agenda 2063, and ECOWAS resolutions — Senegal has committed to removing structural barriers that hinder women’s access to resources, opportunities, and economic development levers.

To this end, the Government has launched the drafting of a Framework Law on Women’s Economic Empowerment, aiming to establish a legal and institutional reference framework that will:

• Effectively coordinate the many initiatives promoting women’s economic empowerment;
• Strengthen the legal and regulatory frameworks promoting gender equality in access to economic opportunities;
• Define an operational framework and a monitoring and evaluation mechanism to ensure the effectiveness and sustainability of the actions undertaken.

Official launch of activities

On March 25, the Ministry of Family and Solidarity, with the support of Belgium, and the European Union, officially launched the drafting process for the future law. This dialogue and consultation process brought together civil society organizations, women’s movements, technical partners, and numerous key stakeholders committed to advancing women’s empowerment in Senegal.

IYBA-SEED partner of the dynamic

IYBA-SEED Senegal, whose objective is to strengthen the entrepreneurial ecosystem through deep work on reforms and the improvement or operationalization of existing mechanisms, is honored to contribute to this collective initiative by supporting the Directorate for Women’s Economic Empowerment (DAEF).

IYBA-SEED Senegal is also engaged in conducting an in-depth diagnostic study on the state of women’s economic empowerment in Senegal, as well as a mapping of initiatives led by women.

These studies will be key tools for establishing a baseline and identifying barriers and opportunities that either hinder or accelerate women’s economic empowerment in Senegal.