Towards to COP28: Reflections, Challenges, and Actions for Just Transitions in Senegal
The energy transition in Senegal is of utmost importance, given its status as a future oil and gas-producing country. This policy of energy efficiency primarily contributes to achieving universal access to electricity and energy services in general. It also aims to address territorial disparities and meet the energy demand necessary for the resilience of agricultural systems, projected industrialization, and the expansion of sustainable mobility programs.
To ensure a better understanding of key concepts and challenges by stakeholders, ENDA ENERGIE and its partners (MPE-MEDDTE, IDDRI, AFD, ACF, FORD FOUNDATION, and IKI/2050 Platform Pathways) held a preparatory session on November 20, 2023, before the CoP (PreCoP) and a high-level forum on just transitions, particularly in energy and agroecology.
The forum allowed various categories of stakeholders (government entities, NGOs, community associations, private sector, researchers, development partners, etc.) to engage in in-depth discussions on the need for operationalizing the financing mechanism for losses and damages and the economic, social, and technological justice of necessary transitions. The co-construction and monitoring of transition implementation become more necessary to drive inclusive, sustainable socio-economic development in the face of climate change and to meet the energy needs of agricultural, industrial, and infrastructural transitions.
Stakeholders highlighted major issues in the energy transition, including energy sovereignty, promotion of renewable energy, energy efficiency, availability of affordable, environmentally friendly, and demand-responsive quality energy. Additionally, agroecological transition, a set of practices preserving natural resources while empowering local populations, has been implemented. This inclusive agroecological transition helps reduce agricultural system vulnerability while contributing to greenhouse gas emissions reduction.
However, this multi-stakeholder exchange day underscored the gap between stated ambitions and concrete actions needed to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement. The PreCoP session also emphasized the need to strengthen climate ambitions through more ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to close the gap and limit warming to 1.5°C (AR6, 2019).
The financing mechanism for losses and damages, adopted at CoP27 in Sharm El Sheikh, raises several questions. While this mechanism is supposed to address urgent issues for vulnerable communities, consensus among State Parties is lacking on the hosting institution, main contributors, access modalities, and the operationalization of the Santiago Network. These crucial unresolved issues will be debated during the Dubai CoP.
Furthermore, the high-level forum moderated by Madame Fatima DIA (Ambassador of the co-construction initiative) saw the participation of AFD, DGPPE, the private sector, and civil society. The panel addressed key challenges of financing just transitions in Senegal, focusing on energy and agroecological transitions.
The discussions contributed to a call for a paradigm shift in sectoral planning approaches towards breaking down sectoral boundaries by considering energy as a central pillar. Addressing challenges related to transition financing, the panelists outlined avenues for consideration, such as:
Risks of job losses linked to the transition: The gradual shift from fossil fuels to decarbonized energy requires abandoning units and, explicitly, job losses in certain sectors. This transition to new jobs requires support and new qualifications.
Having a Long-Term Vision (LTV) or Long-Term Strategy (LTS) enhances the country's credibility with technical and financial partners. These planning strategies, submitted to the Convention, provide the country with a clear long-term vision and quantified sectoral development trajectories sensitive to climate change. Thus, these planning documents define a clear roadmap on which all development partners can rely.
Strengthening private sector engagement is crucial for financing and implementing these transitions. Involvement of the national and international private sector facilitates rapid fund mobilization and the implementation of transition content. However, the major challenge remains ongoing communication between supervisory ministries and private actors regarding opportunities and incentives already put in place by the Government of Senegal.
One of the key outcomes of this meeting with various stakeholders is the establishment of an observatory for non-state actors around just transitions. Considering the communication and engagement challenges of non-state actors in the implementation of the JETP and any other financing mechanism, ENDA Energie, in collaboration with key actors, has launched an initiative to establish an Observatory on just transitions. This observatory contributes to capitalizing on the actions of these actors in the implementation of climate policies and transitions (energy and agroecological).
