Report: Senegal achieves a historic achievement and leaves the list of least developed countries
Senegal has made significant progress in economic and human development, and will become the fifth African country to exit the least developed country (LDC) category, after Botswana, Cape Verde, Equatorial Guinea, and Sao Tome and Principe.
During December 2024, The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution to remove Senegal from the list of least developed countries after a five-year preparatory period ending in December 2029.
A report issued by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs stated: “The United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution No. 79/230 regarding the graduation of Cambodia and Senegal from the category of least populated countries.” Developmentally, the two countries will graduate from this category on 19 December 2029, having been granted, exceptionally, an extended preparatory period of five years (instead of the standard period of three years) to enable them to effectively prepare To graduate and ensure a smooth transition from this category.”
The United Nations had urged Senegal and Cambodia to develop national strategies to manage this transition, with the support of United Nations agencies and in partnership with regional and bilateral parties. and multilateral. It also described the removal of Senegal from the category of least developed countries as a notable achievement that reflects significant progress towards development goals, according to a report by the “Africa 24” platform. News.
As a member of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Senegal has achieved remarkable progress in economic growth and human development over recent decades.
Between 2014 and 2019, Senegal’s economy grew at an average annual rate of 6%. However, the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and internal political tensions affected growth, which fell to 4.1% in 2023 and 5% in 2024.
Despite these challenges, Senegal’s economic outlook is promising, driven by the start of exploitation of hydrocarbon resources. The International Monetary Fund expects growth of 10% in 2025.
In addition, Senegal’s Human Development Index has improved significantly, rising from 0.371 in 1990 to 0.517 In 2022 on a scale from 0 to 1.
The category of least developed countries was established by the United Nations General Assembly United States in 1971 to provide special international support to the world’s most vulnerable countries. This status provides access to preferential markets, development aid, technical assistance, and technological capacity-building programmes.
Countries are added or removed from the list of least developed countries after reviews by a committee United Nations Development Policy Committee assesses social and economic factors such as gross national income per capita, which must exceed $1,306 to be removed from the list, and human development indicators such as child and maternal mortality rates and literacy rates. Reading and writing, and exposure to economic and environmental challenges, such as dependence on agriculture and vulnerability to natural disasters.
Since the establishment of this category, eight countries have graduated from it, including Botswana in 1994, the Republic of Cape Verde in 2007, Maldives in 2011, Samoa in 2014, Equatorial Guinea in 2017, Vanuatu in 2017. 2020, Bhutan in 2023, and Sao Tome and Principe in 2024.
There are currently 44 countries in the category of least developed countries, including 32 in Africa, 8 in Asia, and 3 In the Pacific, and one country in the Caribbean. Some countries, such as Zimbabwe, Bolivia and North Korea, have chosen not to join the list of least developed countries.
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