The OECD.AI Policy Navigator

Senegal's National AI Strategy and Road Map to 2028, published in 2023, is built around four fundamental objectives: "L'IA catalyseur du PSE", "IA for Good", "Ubuntu sur l'IA et Sénégal exemplaire", and "L'IA en toute confiance", which together express a vision for ethical, trustworthy AI that drives economic emergence, improves living conditions, fosters West African regional solidarity, and preserves national sovereignty. These four objectives translate into six strategic orientations structuring 52 actions: capital humain, From Lab to Market, Cluster Sénégal IA, Hub IA régional Ouest Africain, L'IA est l'affaire de tous, and L'IA en toute confiance.

The strategy identifies several gaps it seeks to address. Senegal's AI ecosystem is described as dynamic but fragmented, lacking a coordinated national framework and a multidisciplinary collaboration structure between researchers, entrepreneurs, investors and public authorities. Existing legislation, largely conceived over a decade ago, insufficiently accounts for AI-specific ethical principles, contains legal gaps, and is characterised by overly protective rather than innovation-oriented regulation. The digital divide between urban and rural areas risks being deepened by AI's rapid expansion if no corrective action is taken.

To address these gaps, the strategy builds on Senegal's existing strengths in STEM education and its dynamic digital ecosystem. A key measurable target is training approximately 90,000 Senegalese in data science and AI by 2028, covering all professional levels from decision-makers to students. The strategy also plans the creation of a national AI research and training institute, a national AI cluster (Cluster Sénégal IA) to be constituted by end 2025, dedicated public funding for AI research and startups, and a data lake aggregating public and private data organised by sector. An AI governance body and a national ethics committee are also foreseen.

On governance, the strategy calls for a flexible and balanced regulatory framework aligned with Senegal's societal values and regional and international texts. Regulatory sandboxes, AI impact assessments for high-risk systems, and compliance nomenclatures are among the tools envisaged.