Senegal faces significant climate challenges, with rising temperatures, decreasing rainfall, and worsening coastal degradation impacting agriculture and coastal communities, where 74% of the population and 90% of the industry are located. Although Senegal’s recent partnership with the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP), supported by €2.5 billion, aims to achieve 40% renewable energy in electricity production by 2030, the framework lacks clarity on what a “just transition” entails for communities, especially since Senegal’s fossil fuel industry is limited. Over a year since the JETP’s signing, there has been little public discourse, transparency, or community engagement, with grassroots areas like Guet Ndar particularly vulnerable, as their primary fishing-based livelihoods face threats from coastal erosion and diminishing fish stocks.

The JETP cannot be implemented by itself because each individual country has to consider what just transition means in its particular context. Given these circumstances, CSOs have a critical role to play in shaping this transformation. That’s why Lumière Synergie pour le Développement (LSD), a Senegalese organization whose main objective is to strengthen dialogue and better inform the public about the challenges of the energy transition in Senegal, with the support of 350Africa, organized a workshop from September 18 to 20, 2024, to raise awareness on JETP-related issues among the women of Guet Ndar. The goal was not to impose foreign concepts for so-called “awareness-raising,” but rather to allow women to define the development model they aspire to and what a just energy transition would mean for them.

About fifteen women, mostly from the fishing sector, gathered to discuss a just energy transition and the climate impacts on the Langue de Barbarie communities, emphasizing women’s vulnerability. They highlighted industrialized nations and foreign companies as major contributors to the crisis and stressed the need for reparations for affected communities. The workshop underscored energy’s role in women’s daily lives, with Guet Ndar participants voicing concerns over limited energy access and high electricity costs that hinder their economic independence. They noted the absence of legal assurances that oil and gas production would serve the local market, with government efforts focused mainly on revenue-sharing rather than ensuring energy security.

The lack of transparency and access to information was highly condemned by this grassroots community of women, noting that most of them were unaware of the JETP or its implications. Indeed, the process has progressed for over a year, culminating in an investment plan, without any public consultations at the national level. For these women, a truly equitable JETP requires industrialized nations to not only stop polluting but also take responsibility by compensating communities most affected by climate change before “supporting” global south countries in their energy transitions. Regarding renewable energy, the participants believe it is the only way to provide communities with sustainable and independent access to energy. 

Fair Finance School, the Fair Equilibrium

 

Although the JETP model has been revolutionary, it has been extremely challenging to overcome decades of entrenched fossil mindsets and infrastructure as the JETPs have faded, seemingly stuck in the detail of the IPG’s funding sources, allocations to end uses, and investment priorities. It also raises concerns because it is mainly based on loans and, therefore, risks aggravating Senegal’s debt and prioritizing decision-makers over local needs due to a lack of transparency and inclusion of vulnerable communities, thus compromising a truly equitable climate finance.

The 1st Fair Finance School was instituted in July 2023 in South Africa to bridge the gap between financial institutions and people and ensure that financial transactions benefit society as a whole and do not perpetuate inequality or create a cycle of debt. Following successful sessions in South Africa and Ghana, the first Fair Finance School in Senegal was hosted by Lumière Synergie pour le Développement from October 30-31 in Ndangane. The event aimed to empower civil society actors, activists, and community leaders with critical knowledge on climate finance and public investments, enabling them to actively engage in public finance campaigns and advocate for fair and responsible financial practices. This capacity-building initiative seeks to equip participants to address financial issues impacting their communities and champion social and environmental justice.

Fair Finance School not only advances climate finance but also strengthens climate justice, a demand long championed by emerging economies and environmental activists. This effort underscores the responsibility of the wealthiest, highest-emitting nations to fund adaptation and mitigation in developing countries, particularly Africa, which, despite its minimal emissions, suffers heavily from climate impacts—17 of the 20 most climate-vulnerable countries are African. By fostering accountability and directing funds toward just energy transitions like solar and wind, Fair Finance Schools play a critical role in ensuring that financial support aligns with the urgent need to transition from fossil fuels and avert escalating climate crises.

Written by Muco Aurora