• Senegal aligned the Digital Economy Acceleration Project (PAENS) with its national digital transformation agenda for 2026.
• The government increased the Ministry of Digital Affairs’ 2026 budget by 38.7% to CFA81.06 billion ($146 million), with nearly 60% allocated to investment.
• The World Bank committed CFA95.05 billion to support connectivity, digital public services and regulatory reforms.

During the World Bank’s portfolio review in Senegal, the Minister of Communication, Telecommunications and Digital Affairs met on Thursday, February 12 in Dakar with Ousmane Diagana, Vice President of the World Bank for Western and Central Africa, who toured the country with his teams. The meeting allowed officials to present Senegal’s integrated digital vision and to review the main pillars of the New Deal Technologique, the national roadmap for digital transformation.

Officials placed the Digital Economy Acceleration Project in Senegal (PAENS) at the center of discussions. Authorities recently aligned the project with the national agenda after several months of detailed structuring. The updated framework now integrates concrete priorities, including the deployment of an integrated public financial management system, the strengthening of cybersecurity capabilities, the establishment of a sovereign government cloud and the development of artificial intelligence use cases.

Moreover, participants validated operational milestones scheduled for the first half of 2026. Authorities will launch a tender to connect underserved “white zones,” particularly in the groundnut basin and Lower Casamance. Project managers will start construction of the integrated accounting module of the SIGIF public finance system, and health officials will deploy an electronic patient record system financed under PAENS.

Rising Budget Allocation to Support Digital Push

Senegal increased the budget allocation dedicated to digital development to support these objectives. The Ministry of Digital Affairs secured CFA81.06 billion (about $146 million) for 2026, and the government raised the allocation by nearly 38.7% compared with 2025. The ministry allocated nearly 60% of the envelope to investment, particularly in infrastructure, cybersecurity and digital economy development.

All these initiatives align with the New Deal Technologique that Senegalese authorities launched in February 2026 to position digital technology as a driver of sovereignty and development. In this context, PAENS benefits from substantial support from the World Bank, which committed CFA95.05 billion to strengthen the legal, regulatory and institutional framework of the digital economy, expand broadband connectivity, promote digital inclusion and support digital adoption in public services, particularly through digital health.

This article was initially published in French by Samira Njoya

Adapted in English by Ange J.A de Berry Quenum