COUNTRY FOCUS : SENEGAL
Senegal is being clubbed with Kenya , Morocco , South Africa in terms of its rapid growth in Internet usage across the country , attracting partnerships from Europe and other regions .
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Arial view of Dakar , Senegal
Located in the westernmost part of the African continent , Senegal is bordered by Mauritania , Mali , Guinea , and Guinea-Bissau . Senegal enjoys a dry tropical climate and has a population of 16.7 million people , a quarter of whom live in the Dakar area , 0.3 % of the territory . Senegal is one of the most stable countries in Africa , with three peaceful political transitions since independence in 1960 .
The pandemic and ongoing conflict in Ukraine induced sizable terms-of-trade shocks , noticeably reducing growth for 2022 and leading to sustained high fiscal deficits and debt levels , with little room for manoeuvre . Real GDP growth is estimated to have decelerated to 4.2 % in 2022 , compared to a pre-shock forecast of 5.5 %, as higher food and energy prices , trade disruptions , and greater uncertainty caused private investment to decline .
The same transmission channels added to a surge in average inflation since the beginning of 2022 , reaching a muti-decade high level of 14.1 % YoY in November 2022 and decelerating to 9.4 % in February 2023 . As a result , average inflation is estimated at 9.6 % in 2022 up from 2.2 % in 2021 driven by food prices which increased on average by 15 % in 2022 compared to 2.9 % in 2021 .
The pandemic has significantly altered the country ’ s economic outlook , affecting services such as tourism and transport , and exports . Senegal has responded with several containment measures and has implemented an Economic and Social Resilience
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