One of Africa's most secure democracies, with numerous peaceful power transitions since it gained independence in 1960, Senegal is currently witnessing a wave of violent election protests that have cost four lives and threatened the country's stability. After President Abdoulaye Wade announced his intention to run for a third term, and the move was validated by the Constitutional Court in January, opposition and civic groups have led mass protests to demand that Wade withdraw his bid.
In the midst of this election fever, on 2 February came the announcement from the country's Ministry of Mines that Senegal will sign up to the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), which will cover its small but expanding petroleum and mining sectors. Though the timing of the announcement has raised questions as to whether the EITI plan is a well-considered government decision or a politically opportunistic distraction, a public discussion about EITI and resource wealth is highly important for the election campaign and Senegal's future prosperity.
"Increasing transparency" is one of the supported objectives in the current International Monetary Fund reform program for Senegal, but the terms are not applied specifically to the natural resources sector.
Local organizations have long called for Senegal to implement EITI, in anticipation of improved public benefits and citizen participation in resource revenue management.
Across the country, particularly in mining districts, Senegalese citizens increasingly claim that the government is out of touch with the public's needs. The general population contends with an unstable power supply and higher prices for basic goods, while many government ministers live a life of luxury. The result of these frustrations has been a mounting climate of dissatisfaction and growing calls for change.
In this context, perceptions that President Wade has overreached sparked passionate opposition. The main protest group, the M23 movement("Mouvement du 23 juin"), grew out of proposed changes to the constitution last June, which skeptics saw as a tactic for President Wade to transfer the presidency to his son. The proposed amendments were eventually abandoned, but they followed a total of 17 constitutional amendments by the government over an eight-year period, many of which concerned presidential term limits.
The validation of President Wade's candidacy last month sparked new protests against his re-election bid—disapproval that was echoed by the United States. (Wade's government responded that they don't need "to take lessons in democracy from anyone.") M23 went further to call for Wade to step down immediately.
The evolution from sporadic protests last June to the organization of M23 has led to comparisons with the Arab Spring and questions about whether this demonstration could be the beginning of a "Sahel" (the region of sub-Saharan Africa that stretches from Senegal to Sudan) or "African Spring."
With so much attention centered on Wade's campaign, there is a risk that the EITI announcement will not be given the coverage it deserves as a vital issue. EITI implementation could go far to bring real change. Senegalese civil society should highlight the current government's EITI promises and seek commitments from other candidates to ensure that implementation will follow the election, regardless of the outcome. Progress with EITI will enable the Senegalese public to monitor how their natural resource wealth is being used and bring needed accountability to the government.
LEARN MORE
Emma Tarrant Tayou is RWI Africa regional associate.
