[Event Recap] Launch of Senegal’s National Disaster Risk Finance Strategy (SNFRC)

Launch of Senegal’s National Disaster Risk Finance Strategy

The Government of Senegal, through the Ministry of Finance and Budget, officially launched its National Disaster Risk Finance Strategy (Stratégie nationale de Financement des Risques climatiques et de Catastrophes – SNFRC) 2025–2030 on January 22, 2026, during a workshop held in Dakar. The event brought together representatives from government ministries and agencies, development partners, financial institutions, and the private sector, marking a key milestone in Senegal’s efforts to strengthen its framework for financing climate and disaster risks.

The opening session featured remarks by representatives of the Ministry of Finance and Budget (MFB), the Prime Minister’s Office, the ministries of Interior and Environment, the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO), as well as the World Bank. Remarks highlighted the strategy as a critical tool for macroeconomic stability and a pillar of the National Transformation Agenda 2050. The launch also featured the official presentation of the priorities of the strategy by MFB, followed by a high-level panel discussion.   

The SNFRC is structured around five strategic axes, which together define Senegal’s national framework for disaster risk financing:

  • Improving knowledge and modeling of climate and disaster risks to inform financial decision-making;
  • Strengthening the institutional framework for disaster risk financing and its integration into public financial management;
  • Ensuring efficient financing of macro-budgetary risks through appropriate ex ante instruments;
  • Reinforcing the financial resilience of households, including through social protection mechanisms; and
  • Strengthening the resilience of SMEs and the agricultural, livestock, and fisheries sectors through financial and insurance solutions.

MFB outlined the importance of operationalizing the strategy through a structured approach, including the preparation of an implementation plan with defined institutional responsibilities, timelines, and monitoring arrangements, and coordination with territorial authorities and relevant stakeholders.

 

 

The strategy is grounded in a rigorous analytical foundation, including the Climate and Disaster Risk Financing Diagnostic conducted in 2024 by the World Bank. This diagnostic clarified Senegal’s risk profile, inventoried existing initiatives and mechanisms, identified key financing gaps, and informed the prioritization and sequencing of actions. It provides a structured framework to enable more predictable, faster, and more equitable financial responses to climate shocks.

The World Bank, with financial support from the Global Shield Financing Facility (GSFF), is supporting government-led implementation of the SNFRC through a program of technical assistance which prioritizes:

  • Operationalization of the SNFRC, including support for the development of a detailed and sequenced implementation plan aligned with national and sectoral priorities, the National Civil Protection and Disaster Risk Reduction Strategy, and international processes such as the Global Shield;
  • Ensuring rapid financing and efficient execution, including strengthening the portfolio of sovereign risk financing instruments, improving the functioning of the post-disaster budget chain, and assessing the feasibility of dedicated mechanisms such as a disaster response fund; and
  • Management of disaster-related contingent liabilities, including analytical and technical support related to public assets and infrastructure, support to vulnerable households and affected economic sectors, and exploration of insurance solutions for public goods and infrastructure.