Study in Senegal

Senegal is a country located in West Africa and bordered by Mauritania, Mali, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, and nearly surrounds the Gambia. Senegal is home to several ethnic groups whose way of life and culture contribute immensely to its rich Senegalese culture. Studying abroad in Senegal can provide quite an adventure for international students.

The country offers competitive learning and a lot of career opportunities for both local and international students. Senegal has several states of the art universities offering internationally recognized degree programs.

. The higher learning system of Senegal is represented by 16 universities with 386 study programs for Bachelors's, Masters's, and Doctoral studies. Programs include biology, chemistry, computer science, economics, environmental studies, history, humanities, law and jurisprudence, management, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, philosophy, philology, physics, political science, economics, environmental studies, history, psychology, sociology, and technology to mention but a few. The adult literacy rate in Senegal is 51.9%, with male literacy rate at 64.81%, and 39.8% for females according to UNESCO.

Important things to note

If you are looking to study in Senegal, these are a few things you have to take note of before moving there.

Money-Senegal is also a cash economy meaning a majority of payments and transactions in Senegal are made in cash. Visa cards are however gaining ground as they are now being issued by most banks in Senegal. International visa cards are used but very minimally.

Medical Requirements- you are recommended to get vaccinated against hepatitis A and yellow fever before traveling to Senegal, depending on your destination and activities, rabies and malaria vaccinations are also advised.

Health insurance- health insurance is not readily available to students and hence students are encouraged to have health insurance and evacuation insurance before traveling to Senegal.

About Senegal

Senegal is a country located on the shoulder of West Africa and bordered by Mauritania, Mali, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, and the Gambia. Senegal has an estimated area of 196 722 square kilometers. Its capital city is called Dakar. Senegal had an estimated population of over 15 million people as of 2018 and a population density of about 68.7 people per square kilometer. The country gained its independence from France on the 4th of April 1960.

The official language spoken in Senegal is French and its lingua franca is Wolof, one of the most widely spoken languages. Other languages include Balanta, Hassaniya Arabic, Jola-Fonyi, Mandinka, Manjak, Mankanya, Noon, Pular, Serer, and Soninke.

Different ethnic groups make Senegal quite interesting and diverse. The ethnic make-up of Senegal is Wolof contributing an estimated 41.3%, Fula 17.8%, Serer 15.7%, Mandinka 14%, Jola 3.7%, Soninke 1.1%,

Facts about SENEGAL..

• Senegal is building a wall of trees to hold back the encroaching Sahara desert.

• Senegal is the setting for the famous surfing movie, “The Endless Summer”.

• It is a great place for bird watching.

• It was once the center for the slave trade

• It is famous for the Dakar Rally, one of the toughest and popular races.

• It is the birthplace of one of the most famous music superstars, AKON.

About Senegal Economy

Senegal is a lower-middle-income country and a mixed economy with considerable state presence in economic activities with limited freedom for the private sector. It is a member of ECOWAS, an abbreviation for the Economic Community of West African States.

It is also a member of the African Union. Senegal’s currency is the West African CFA franc (XOF). Its GDP (PPP) was estimated at $66.438 billion and nominal GDP at $28.02 billion, GDP per capita at $3675. Inflation was estimated at 1.5% as of 2020. The GDP contribution by sector in Senegal is as follows:

1. 1.)Services 58.8%
2. 2.)Agriculture 16.9%
3. 3.)Industry 24.3%

The main industries in Senegal include agricultural and fish processing, construction, repairs, phosphate mining, fertilizer production, petroleum refining, zircon, gold mining, and construction materials.

Agriculture takes up the majority of labor as it is the largest employer in the country with about 77.5%. Most people in Senegal practice subsistence farming.

The industrial sector and services take up about 22.5%. Unemployment as of 2017 was estimated at 15.7%.

Senegal was poisoned 123rd in the ease of doing business index as of 2020. Its revenues were estimated at $4.139 billion, and expenses at $4.9 billion and Senegal’s foreign reserves were estimated at $1.827 billion as of 2017.

. Exports in Senegal were estimated at $3.89 billion as of 2018 with major export products being fish, groundnuts, petroleum products, cement, crude petroleum, wheat, phosphates, and cotton.

. Its major export partners were Mali, Switzerland, and Cote d'Ivoire, the United Arab Emirates, Gambia, and Spain.

Total imports in 2017 were estimated at $5.217 and major import goods were food and beverages, capital goods, and fuels. Its main import partners include France, China, Nigeria, India, Belgium, Nigeria, Netherlands, and Spain.

Why Study in Senegal

You will Love the Food!

Senegal's cuisines and the food reflects a lot of French, Portuguese, and traditional North African influences. Ingredients include chicken, beef, lamb, eggs, rice, lentils, sweet potatoes, and peas. Common dishes include couscous, bread served with vegetables or meat, coffee, teas, fresh fruit juices. Thieboudienne is a traditional Senegalese dish that is made from fish, rice, and tomato sauce.

Dance Like a Local!

Music is Africa’s major unifier and is an integral part of the African way of life. The most popular music genre is Mbalax, which is a fusion of jazz, soul, rock, and rhumba with the traditional Wolof music. Music type however differs from ethnic group to ethnic group. Different kinds of music are performed at weddings, funerals, religious ceremonies, and public gatherings.

Religion

Senegal is a predominantly Islam country with Sufi and Sunni Muslim groups contributing a combined 95.9% and only about 4.1% Christians, with Roman Catholicism being the most popular. It is a very tolerant nation concerning religion. This is reflected by the fact that although it is a predominantly Muslim state, the government officially celebrates both Muslim and Christian events and holidays and the citizens live in harmony..

Art

Art is a vital component of African society. Senegalese nationals are very skilled in different forms of art including basket weaving, wood carving, textiles, paintings, mask making, traditional jewelry making, and beading.

Scholarships in Senegal

Scholarships are available for students who wish to study in Senegal. Scholarships can come from organizations, well-wishers, or other nations to promote education especially for the disadvantaged. Some of the known categories of scholarships in Senegal are:

-Student specific scholarships

- Career-specific scholarships

- Merit-based scholarships

- Need-based scholarships

- Creative contest scholarships

- College-specific scholarships

- Athletic Scholarships

Senegal Student Visa

3 kinds of Visa can be granted to visitors in Senegal. These are the tourist visa, business visa, and a diplomatic visa. The visitors can stay up to 90 days but if they are to extend then they have to adhere to certain provisions from Senegalese immigration authorities. A temporary residence permit for students is to be issued by the Police des Etrangers within 2-3 months.

It is advised that you visit the Senegalese embassy or foreign diplomatic missions to know of any changes in the requirements.

application can be made on entry or in advance. Visa applications may be accepted or denied by the relevant authorities