For over thirty years the Italian Cooperation has supported the efforts of West African countries to promote peace, the elimination of all forms of poverty and the economic and social emancipation of the most vulnerable groups, with particular attention to women, young people and people with disabilities.
The presence of the Dakar office of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) shows the importance that Italy continues to attribute to the development of Senegal, which is at the center of democratic stability in West Africa. With a regional mandate, the AICS headquarters in Dakar is the programming, monitoring and coordination center for initiatives in Senegal, Cape Verde, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Mauritania and Sierra Leone.
In the current context of instability and crisis at the regional level, the Italian commitment reflects a broader strategy of the Italian Cooperation in the region supporting the consolidation of democratic processes and the socio-economic well-being of the populations.
This commitment is also reflected in the decision to confirm Senegal as a priority intervention country. In the latter, the initiatives relating to the 2017-2020 period, in full thematic consistency with those of previous years, confirm the following three priority areas of intervention: agriculture and rural development, the private sector and human development, with particular attention to the education.
The activities and objectives of the Italian Cooperation's programs and projects are in line with national strategies for developing and reducing poverty in an ownership perspective. Assistance and technical support to state structures in the region are fundamental elements of Italian action, as is the creation of partnerships and alliances with international agencies, civil society organizations, local authorities and new actors in cooperation such as diaspora and sector associations private.
