Getting hold of reliable data on migration flows in Senegal is almost impossible. The structures authorized to communicate on the issue are the first to deplore the glaring lack of information on the subject. As proof, in its executive summary of Migration Profiles in Senegal, laid down in a 2018 report, the National Agency for Statistics and Demography (Ansd) admits all its impotence.

“In Senegal, all the analyses devoted to migration highlight the major difficulty linked to the shortcomings in the collection and production of migration data to correctly understand the reality. The available data are fragmentary and do not offer possibilities for complete and detailed analysis. Given these shortcomings, it is difficult to observe the evolution of the migratory phenomenon over time and space. This is all the more likely that with the increasing complexity of migration, Senegal appears as a country of departure, transit and destination,” says the 2018 report of the National Agency for Statistics and Demography (Ansd).

But to get an idea of the migratory profiles in Senegal, nothing better than going a stone’s throw from the City Hall of Grand Dakar where Ablaye Barry, a Guinean of origin, holds a scooter that he immobilizes on this busy crossroads of the city center. Around 7 pm., the ballet of African communities residing in the country of Teranga begins. Guineans, Malians, Ivorians, Central Africans, Chadians, Comorians, Beninese, Gabonese, Congolese… meet at “Laye Café” to discuss their daily lives, activities and the problems they encounter. There is a real melting pot in this café area where a large flow of information also circulates.

Guineans succeed in small trade, but also in handling as well as in fishing

Student and holder of a Bachelor’s degree in International Trade, Ablaye Barry is also a delivery man and commercial agent for several companies in the Senegalese capital. But this is not why he was chosen by “Dialogue Migration” to talk about the profiles of migrants hosted by Senegal.

Ablaye is one of the focal points of the association of Guinean students and nationals in Dakar. He often acted as a relay between the Guinean consular authorities established in Dakar and his compatriots. This thirty-year-old, who has lived in Senegal since October 2012, is a mine of information. According to him, his compatriots, especially the Peulh, are active in small business; while the Soussou and Malinké are in handling, fishing and a little in agriculture.

To support his claims, Ablaye says that in their prospecting and census work, they were able to identify 500 of their Guinean compatriots who are active in fishing in Joal (department of Mbour) and 300 others at Soumbédioune. “In 2022, we have identified nearly 800 Guinean nationals, Soussous and Malinké are active in the fishing sector between Soumbédioune and Joal Fadiouth. It is within the framework of the activity of our association for the regularization of our fellow citizens in Senegal, in collaboration with the consular authorities,” he adds.

We sought to contact the Consul of the Republic of Guinea in Dakar to verify the data provided by our interlocutor. After failing to reach him directly on the phone, we called the General Secretariat of the Embassy who asked us to send an email with all the questions. After which the embassy informed us that it would not be able to accede to our request. The reason? The Chargé d’Affaires is not available for travel reasons.

Going back to data from the National Agency for Statistics and Demography (ANSD), we learn that with a population estimated in 2019 at 16,209,125 inhabitants, Senegal is a traditional host country of populations of diverse origins. This immigration remains dominated by neighboring countries, particularly Guinea (43%), Mali (10%), Gambia (7%) and Guinea-Bissau (6%). These four countries represent 66% of the foreign population established in Senegal, as noted by the ANSD in its latest report on Migration in Senegal. It should also be noted that Mauritania, another neighboring country, is distinguished by the importance of its nationals among the refugees in Senegal (94% of the workforce) according to data provided by the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). It  is worth noting that before the unfortunate events of 1989 between the two countries, Mauritanians controlled most of the small businesses in Senegal before being replaced by Guineans in the 90s.

Malians, Ivorians in import-export and transport, Gambians and Bissau-Guineans “at home”

Among the strong foreign community present in Senegal, there is a good part that has integrated into society. Both the history of their countries is closely linked to that of the host country. Gambians and Bissau-Guineans are among them. They have their parents and cousins there. The drawing of borders mentioned in a previous article on Migration in West Africa, has separated communities that share the same history, the same languages, the same cultures.

Malians are in much the same situation as the two communities mentioned above. Throughout Senegal, there are families of Malian origin who have finally become naturalized. Most had come to trade or find work in the industrial sector. They eventually settled permanently. But there is another fringe of the Malian community in Senegal that is active in the transport sector. These are companies that serve other countries in the sub-region from Dakar. There is also a good part of this community that is active in the trade of fabrics and other natural products for aesthetic and medical needs.

Ivorians also love the Abidjan-Dakar axis to feed their commercial activities. While some hold their shops in the Senegalese capital, others prefer to be content with seasonal campaigns.

The free movement of goods and people in the ECOWAS zone also encourages the displacement of populations from the sub-region to stable countries such as Senegal.

Dakar, number 1 choice of foreign nationals with a strong student community

According to ANSD, internal migrants are mainly polarized by the Dakar region (43.2% of the workforce), which corresponds to nearly 820,000 migrants, or a quarter of the Dakar population. The importance of internal migratory flows to Dakar raises the fundamental problem of the unequal distribution of the population on the national territory, with the consequence of a considerable demographic imbalance between the interior regions and the capital.

The strong presence of foreign nationals in the Senegalese capital is also explained by the concentration of most administrative jurisdictions in this tiny portion which represents only 0.23% of the country’s surface. All ministries, the headquarters of institutions, diplomatic representations and most of the grandes écoles and universities are located in Dakar. Moreover, there is a very strong community of foreign students in the capital. Nationals of French-speaking African countries are very present in private higher education institutes. Beninese, Gabonese, Ivorians, Congolese, Comorians, Malagasy, Nigeriens, Togolese, Djiboutians… come to be trained in Dakar.

In an interview with pressafrik, a local Senegalese media in June 2022, Samatar Abdi Osman, the Djiboutian ICT entrepreneur, revealed that there are 2,000 to 3,000 students from his country who come to Senegal every year. This, despite the fact that there is no diplomatic representation in both countries. 

There is also a very strong community of Moroccan students at the Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar (UCAD) especially at the Faculties of Medicine and Pharmacy.

More women than men among migrants in Senegal

“The percentage of female internal migrants is 9.6% compared to 8.2% for men in the 15-19 age group. This ratio is 11.6% against 10.1% in the 20-24 age group and 12% against 11.3% in the 25-29 age group,” according to a 2018 report by ANSD.

For more information on African migrants in Senegal, we tried in vain to contact the Directorate of Territorial Surveillance (DST).

Finally, in terms of border governance, the State of Senegal has put in place, since 2012, a national strategy for border and migration management with the aim of strengthening the human and operational capacities of border management stakeholders. Thus, the Directorate of Air and Border Police (DPAF) has welcomed into its ranks GMI personnel to increase surveillance and border controls. This is what justifies, in part, the creation of the Directorate of Territorial Administration. The latter plays a fundamental role in preventing cross-border epidemics, safeguarding national livestock and forest resources, and regulating artisanal gold panning activities.