As part of the implementation of the Support Program for Municipalities and Agglomerations of Senegal (PACASEN), the Municipal Development Agency (ADM) carried out, in Thiès, this Friday, October 17, 2025, a continuous territorial coaching (CTC) mission in "environmental and social management (GES), citizen participation, complaints management mechanism". It brought together the pilot local authorities in the regions of Thiès and Diourbel.

An opportunity for Ndèye Sagne, PACASEN environmental and social management expert, to look back on the launch of the 2025 continuous territorial coaching (CTC) missions. She emphasizes that continuous territorial coaching (CTC), a key support system for PACASEN pilot local authorities led by the ADM with the support of regional development agencies (ARD) and regional directorates for the environment and classified establishments (DREEC), constitutes an essential pillar of the PACASEN support and advice system.

The entire philosophy of PACASEN is based on two fundamental principles: "The performance of local authorities (LAs), which conditions the allocation of resources to the achievement of predefined results; the continuous support of LAs through two complementary systems: continuous territorial coaching and training."

During the transitional phase, the ADM, in collaboration with the ARDs and the MUCTAT Training Service, continues to implement this ongoing technical assistance mechanism, in order to support the CTs in preparing the annual evaluation of their performance.

PACASEN performance counters

PACASEN is based on two resource allocation windows: “Performance Window 1: based on the mandatory minimum conditions (MOC) – initially eight, reduced to six as part of the additional funding – and open to all 124 CTs benefiting from the program”. “Performance Window 2: more selective, reserved for regional capital municipalities, towns and certain specific municipalities (Mbour and Touba Mosque), based on 13 performance indicators (IDP).

Environmental and social management at the heart of the CTC

Among the CTC's key themes are environmental and social management (ESM) and the grievance mechanism (MGP), in accordance with the requirements of the Environmental Code and the World Bank's principles, within the framework of the Program-for-Results (PforR). Activities financed under PACASEN can generate environmental and social impacts requiring rigorous management. For this, several structuring tools have been developed: the "Technical Manual for Environmental and Social Management"; the "Guide to Citizen Participation and the Grievance Mechanism (MGP)".

CMO 6 (formerly CMO 8) requires each municipality to comply with the provisions of the procedures manual for the environmental and social assessment of projects during the year 2026. IDP 2.2 requires a functional complaints management mechanism to be established within the municipality. The additional funding introduced a new requirement, IDP 3.3, and indicates that a CT GHG focal point extends its responsibilities as a CC focal point to the CT level.

CTC 2025 Objective

El Hadj Babacar Guèye, head of the Planning-Training Division at the ARD, and Kory Diouf, technical assistant at the Regional Division of the Environment and Classified Establishments, discussed the CTC 2025 missions aimed at strengthening the capacities of local authorities for a better understanding and application of the GES Technical Manual, the Citizen Participation Guide and MGP, in order to enable them to achieve CMO 6 as well as IDP 2.2 and 3.3.

They discussed the progress of the missions in the Thiès and Diourbel areas, specifying that the CTC sessions will be held by area, in close collaboration with the DREECs and the ARDs. For the Thiès and Diourbel areas, a two-day session is scheduled for October 16 and 17, 2025, in Thiès. A mission will be extended to all PACASEN pilot CTs in the 14 regions.

Main achievements and successes of the CTC system

Since its launch, Ndèye Sagne reports, continuous territorial coaching has enabled significant progress in the environmental and social management of CTs: "Institutionalization of environmental and social screening: all CTs now produce a screening sheet before the implementation of any project, in accordance with CMO6; establishment of the complaints management mechanism (MGP) in the 124 CTs, with dedicated focal points and registers; effective integration of citizen participation through budget orientation debates and local consultation; continuous capacity building of municipal actors via CTC sessions and training provided by the DREECs and the CNFPLF; better appropriation of environmental, social and climate issues in the planning and management of local projects."

Towards efficient and sustainable local governance

The ongoing territorial coaching system, the environmental and social management expert points out, is fully in line with the PACASEN dynamic aimed at strengthening local governance, improving institutional performance, and promoting the sustainability of investments. Thanks to the commitment of the CTs, ARDs, DREECs, and ADM, the CTC contributes, according to her, to anchoring the culture of performance, transparency, and accountability within local authorities.

Abdou Diop, climate change focal point for the city of Thiès, welcomed the activity at its true value, because, he said, "it allows us, as an agent responsible for environmental and social monitoring in our communities, to take all the necessary measures for environmental streaming and environmental monitoring of the works, also at the level of environmental reception, to be able to apply the necessary provisions of the technical manual for environmental and social management."

According to him, "the city of Thiès is resolutely committed to integrating environmental measures into our projects." This is part, he says, of "the city mayor's vision to take into account all necessary measures, including reforestation projects and the repopulation of the Caïcédrats, which is part of taking into account the impact of climate change."

PACASEN aims to create an environment conducive to the empowerment of local authorities

PACASEN supports the first phase of the Operationalization Program for Act III of Decentralization in Senegal (PROACTSEN), initiated in 2016 and valued at 700 billion CFA francs. This program, the first for results (PPR) in Senegal, implemented over the period from November 2018 to December 2024, extended for two years (2025-2026), aims to create an environment conducive to the empowerment of local authorities.

The objective of PACASEN is to improve the financing of local authorities and to improve the performance of urban local authorities in the management of local public investments. With initial funding of 260 million US dollars (110 million USD from the World Bank - 90 million USD from the AFD - 60 million USD from the Senegalese government) or approximately 130 billion CFA francs (Senegalese government: 30 billion CFA francs; World Bank: 55 billion CFA francs and French Development Agency: 45 billion CFA francs), PACASEN is structured into two results areas: "Result area 1: strengthen the financial viability of local authorities; result area 2: improve the performance of pilot local authorities in the management of public investments for the provision of services."

Its scope of intervention concerns the "direct beneficiaries: 124 CT beneficiaries in the 14 regions of Senegal, or approximately 9 million citizens or 50% of the Senegalese population"; the "indirect beneficiaries: the overall reforms supported by the PPR benefit all 601 CTs in Senegal. PACASEN benefits the entire Senegalese population, estimated at approximately 18 million."

PACASEN is extended through additional financing (FA) granted for the continuation of its implementation for a period of two years, from July 1, 2024 until December 31, 2026. More specifically, the FA adds a total envelope of 110 million dollars, or 70,000,000 CFA francs, including 50 million dollars from IDA and 33 million dollars from AFD as well as 27 million dollars from the State of Senegal.

The resources mobilized contribute to financing activities related to "continued support for budgetary reforms, initiated under the Parent program, with regard to the investment budgets of the CTs; new support for strengthening climate resilience in Senegal and a new emphasis on climate resilience as part of the annual capacity building in terms of evaluating the performance and capacities of local authorities."