Stratégie nationale et feuille de route du Sénégal sur l'Intelligence Artificielle à l'horizon 2028 (Senegal National Artificial Intelligence Strategy and Road Map to 2028)
sn-ai-2023 · Guidance
The Stratégie nationale et feuille de route du Sénégal sur l'Intelligence Artificielle à l'horizon 2028 is Senegal's first dedicated national AI strategy, published in 2023 by the Ministry of Communication, Telecommunications and Digital Economy (MCTEN). It is an aspirational policy and planning instrument, not binding law: it articulates a vision and a 52-action roadmap rather than creating enforceable legal obligations. The Enacted/Effective dates recorded here reflect publication/adoption in 2023, not legislative enactment; no AI-specific statute had been enacted in Senegal as at this draft. The strategy positions AI as a lever of the Plan Sénégal Émergent (PSE) and an extension of the 'Sénégal Numérique 2025' digital agenda. Its vision is built on four fundamental objectives, 'L'IA catalyseur du PSE' (AI as a driver of economic emergence and digital sovereignty), 'IA for Good' (AI for social and environmental progress and the SDGs), 'Ubuntu sur l'IA et Sénégal exemplaire' (regional solidarity and West African cooperation), and 'L'IA en toute confiance' (ethical, transparent, secure AI respecting fundamental rights). These translate into six strategic orientations: human capital, From Lab to Market, Cluster Sénégal IA, the West African regional AI hub, citizen ownership ('L'IA est l'affaire de tous'), and trustworthy AI. Priority sectors are agriculture, health, education and public administration. The headline measurable commitment is to train roughly 90,000 Senegalese in data science and AI by 2028. The strategy proposes new institutions, a national AI research and training institute, a national AI cluster (Cluster Sénégal IA), a sectoral data lake, dedicated public research funding and a state-guaranteed private investment fund for AI startups building on the Senegal Startup Act. On governance, the document calls for a flexible, balanced regulatory framework aligned with African (African Union, Smart Africa) and international (OECD, UNESCO) standards. It foreshadows a dedicated AI governance body and a national ethics committee, and envisages tools including regulatory sandboxes, AI impact assessments for high-risk systems, and a compliance nomenclature. It explicitly identifies that Senegal's existing legislation, including the 2008 data protection law, is over a decade old, contains gaps, and inadequately addresses AI-specific ethical principles, signalling anticipated legal reform. The strategy is described as iterative and agile, with a monitoring-and-evaluation mechanism. It is reinforced by the broader 'New Deal Technologique' digital agenda launched in February 2025, which retains AI and digital sovereignty as central pillars. Source language: French.
- Four fundamental objectives frame the vision: 'L'IA catalyseur du Plan Sénégal Émergent', 'IA for Good', 'Ubuntu sur l'IA et Sénégal exemplaire', and 'L'IA en toute confiance'
- Six strategic orientations operationalised through 52 concrete actions, covering human capital, research-to-market, a national cluster, a regional hub, citizen engagement and trustworthy AI
- Headline target: train approximately 90,000 Senegalese in data science and AI by 2028 across all professional levels
- Proposes a national AI research and training institute and a national AI cluster (Cluster Sénégal IA) to be constituted by end 2025
- Two financing instruments: a dedicated public AI research fund and a state-guaranteed private investment fund for AI startups, building on the Senegal Startup Act
- Priority sectors are agriculture, health, education and public administration, supported by a sectoral data lake aggregating public and private data
- Governance: foreshadows a dedicated AI governance body and national ethics committee, with regulatory sandboxes, AI impact assessments for high-risk systems and a compliance nomenclature, aligned to AU/Smart Africa, OECD and UNESCO standards
- Flags that existing legislation, including the 2008 personal data protection law, is outdated for AI and signals anticipated legal reform