In September 2009, the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) signed a five-year, $540 million compact with the Republic of Senegal designed to reduce poverty and invest in economic growth by unlocking the country’s agricultural productivity and expanding access to markets and services.  This goal will be achieved through the rehabilitation of major national roads and strategic investments in irrigation and water resource management infrastructure. The Government of Senegal has identified two national-level strategies: to reduce poverty in Senegal through economic growth and to increase the country’s food security. Both of these priorities will be facilitated through MCC’s $540 million compact.

For the most up-to-date information on implementation progress, please read the Quarterly Status Report.

• MCC will work with the Government of Senegal to improve the productivity of the agricultural sector by extending and improving the quality of the irrigation system in the Senegal River Delta and the Department of Podor (at the N’Gallenka irrigation site).  Specifically, MCC will support the development of up to 10,500 hectares of additional irrigated land by increasing the volume of irrigation water.   As Senegal currently imports 70 percent of its rice, these investments will also move the country closer to greater food security.
• Also, by improving and rehabilitating main conveyance and drainage canals, as well as new development of 440 hectares,  farmers in the region—individuals, small firms, and large scale businesses—will continue to be able to irrigate 26,000 hectares of land that otherwise might simply be abandoned. 
• The Compact will also support a land tenure activity to secure the land rights of farmers benefiting from the project and mitigate conflicts that might arise from ambiguities regarding property rights,  increasing land values, and increased demand for land. The capacity of local institutions responsible for allocating and managing land rights over time will also be strengthened.

• By rehabilitating two national roads, the RN6 in the south and the RN2 in the north, MCC will improve farmers’ access to domestic and international markets as well as provide communities along these routes with better access to important services such as schools and hospitals. 
• Bordering the Senegal River, the RN2 serves as an important corridor between Dakar Harbor, Mauritania and Mali.  In all,  approximately 120 kilometers of road will be repaired and widened from Richard Toll to Ndioum, including a new 150m bridge, reducing flooding and drainage problems and improving overall road safety. 
• As the only road available to transport local agricultural products from Casamance to the rest of Senegal without having to travel through the Gambia, upgrading approximately 250 kilometers of the RN6 from Ziguinchor will provide critical infrastructure vital to unlocking economic growth in the region. Several local markets will receive improved drainage and site access support, including the international market at Diabe.
• These road networks will create reliable, cost-effective and time-saving means of transporting locally produced agricultural products and stimulate domestic and trans-border traffic and commerce.