Digital in Senegal: key figures
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Digital in Senegal: key figures

Focus — Tuesday, February 07, 2017

Senegal has over 15.2 million mobile telephone lines.

As to the equipment base, the mobile market is divided up between three operators: as at 31 March 2017, Orange held 53.19%, followed by Tigo (24.58%), and Expresso (22.23%).

Over 58% of Senegalese had access to the Internet, as at March 2017. 1.8 million Senegalese are active on the social media, primarily on Facebook and Twitter. 

Digital is one of the drivers in the national economy’s growth: as at end-2014, the Post and Telecommunications branch, which is particularly dominant in this sector, contributed to (GDP) up to 6.28% in value terms (or 10.4% in volume), equal to 475 billion FCFA in value terms, and GDP amounting to 7.569 billion FCFA in value terms. 

The aspiration behind the economic plan is to bring new life to the sector, by creating new growth drivers and sources to the players on the market, and thus increase the digital sector’s contribution to GDP to 10% by 2025.

Analysis of the digital sector shows that Telecommunications infrastructures remain some of the most developed and best-performing in Western Africa, thanks to the major investments made in capacity and modernisation. On the infrastructure sub-index, or “Network Readiness Index” (NRI) published by the 2016 World Economic Forum, Senegal was one of the leading countries in Western Africa, along with Nigeria, Ivory Coast, and Ghana, and 14th in Africa.

In Africa, Senegal ranked 1st in terms of Internet contribution to the economy (I-PIB), estimated at 3.3%, due in particular to very good international connectivity and a good national transmission network.

The forecasts made in this area also predict an increase in GDP thanks to the positive peer pressure on other sectors from digital, amounting to some 300 billion FCFA. The aim will also be to take advantage of the strong potential offered by digital in terms of job creation, with a target of 35,000 direct new jobs, in Senegal's digital sector by 2025, in line with PES targets.