CONTENTS | ANB-BIA HOMEPAGE | WEEKLY NEWS
by Alain Agboton, Dakar, September 1999
THEME = SOCIAL CONDIT.
Alarming indications of increasing poverty
It's known that in Senegal, most people live in poverty, are badly nourished and never have enough to eat. The badly nourished have now found a way of compensating for the insufficient nutritional calories needed. In town, these days, stale bread is being offered as a way to solve the problem.
In the fight against poverty and finding ways of surviving, this is what's called the "System D" - an addition to the Senegalese's average intake of about 1600 calories a day from the one meal they can afford to eat. Anything left over is reheated on another occasion. This type of regime is known as "bagar- diassi" or when translated - "two-leg championship" (Editor's note: a popular reference to international football matches where each team plays the other twice).
We're talking here of families with five to eight children, unable to buy enough fresh bread each day, because each loaf costs about 125 CFA francs (1.25 french francs). Stale bread, two days old, only costs between 40 to 90 CFA francs per loaf. This means there's a ready market for selling stale bread, obviously profitable to the many bakers, who sell the stale loaves of bread - "reprocessed products", as they describe their products. The stale bread can, moreover, be used at every meal. It's also sold in those areas where there are no bakers.
What's happening is proof that for some time, the food and nutritional level of the Senegalese has been at its lowest level - obviously with serious consequences.
According to Dakar University nutritionists, the food bill per person per month is about 3,500 CFA francs (35 French francs). Rice and millet make up 53% of the city people's food intake, and 80% in rural areas. A low level of fish consumption is also observed (about 2 grams a day per person). As for meat, about 40 grams a day per person is noted. Last year, there was a short famine in three regions of the country.
According to experts, such lack in food calories results in serious public health problems. The public has to be alerted. A major lack of nutritional calories could influence the population's "physical and intellectual activities", resulting in a downward trend in labour productivity; and among children, a slow growth rate, lack of immunity against diseases, etc. All this because of growing poverty among the people.
Taking a closer look at poverty statistics in Senegal, what do we find? Senegal is one of the 17 poorest countries in the world. Nearly half the population, that is, about two families out of three, live in poverty, as compared with a general percentage continent-wide of 4 Africans out of 10. 40% of Senegalese live on an annual income of 100,000 CFA francs (1,000 FF). About 6 Senegalese out of 10 live on the equivalent of about one dollar a day (600 CFA francs or 6FF).
In 1997, the United Nation's Programme for Development (PNUD) noted that the poverty indicator for the Senegalese people was about 48%, as compared to 40% for the rest of Africa. 40% of the adult working population between 20 and 40 years are unemployed; for the whole of Africa, it is 34%.
From 1986 to 1998, buying power deteriorated considerably; the minimum monthly income decreased from 9,000 CFA francs to 8,300 CFA francs, while at the same time, there was a 50% devaluation in the CFA franc, plus the application of economic free market principles and an opening out to a global economy.
At the same time, the minimum monthly salary of more than 70% of those working in the modern sector of production fell to 76,000 CFA francs (760FF). Someone puts it this way: "The difference between the "haves" and "the have-nots" is one of the highest in the world, because of poor administration". Everything's running down - education, health care and welfare, there's water shortages, etc.
UNESCO notes a "progressive weakening in the level of education" in Senegal. In the health sector, it's even worse, with one doctor for 13,000 people, and one health centre for 154,000 people, way below the norms set by the World Health Organization (WHO).
In all, Senegal's present history is mainly a constant repetition of the same ills - malnutrition, rejection, begging, decrease in life expectancy (down to 48 years), more and more people homeless, conditions existing which are unfavourable to health, a high level of illiteracy (57%), an increased level of insecurity and violence, more and more discouraged people leaving the country at all costs, etc.
Numerous and expensive programmes and projects to combat poverty have been set up by the government and international organizations, which we hope will work. And there's still the idea developed by some economists, that this poverty results from existing political and economic structures which has led to the present chaos, and could destroy the whole social fabric of the country - if it's not already done so.
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