Senegalese President Macky Sall and H.M Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, serving as the United Nations Secretary-General's Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development (UNSGSA), are encouraging fellow leaders to: "use this report to ensure digital payments are at the centre of a sustainable and fair economic recovery."
To set an example, President of Burkina Faso, Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, decreed in December 2020, the digitization of payments for public sector workers in Burkina Faso.
The West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) and the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO) have taken action at reducing the circulation of cash in 8 countries. These decisions have had tangible impacts in changing the lives of workers and companies
Learn more in the Government of Senegal's new report prepared with the Better Than Cash Alliance, the World Bank and the National Agency of Statistics and Demography of Senegal.
To scale SMEs digitization, the World Bank has invested 11 billion CFA francs ($20 million USD) to launch a matching fund with the Government of Senegal.
Flagship national enterprises, such as the agricultural giant SODAGRI, or SMEs such as QUALIOCEAN and Kossam SDE, are setting an example by digitizing payments and enrolling workers to the universal health coverage platform. More than 400,000 workers will now have access to quality, government-subsidized health care.
The country's largest employer, Compagnie Sucrière Sénégalaise, has successfully digitized payment for around 8,000 workers via a partnership with local fintech.