Monitoring and evaluation committee validates legal draft to formalize informal sector in Senegal

DAKAR, Senegal – July 9, 2025 – As part of the implementation of the Support Project for Improving the Youth Integration System and Business Formalization (ADIJEFE), the International Labour Organization (ILO), in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism and Handicrafts and with financial support from the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), organized a validation workshop on June 19, 2025, in Dakar. The workshop focused on draft legal texts related to incentive measures for the entrepreneur status. This meeting marked a decisive step in building a legal environment conducive to the formalization of informal economy actors.

A dynamic of legislative co-construction led by the Monitoring Committee

The workshop brought together members of the Monitoring and Evaluation Committee for the Entrepreneur Status, established in November 2024, as well as representatives from sectoral ministries, professional organizations, partner institutions, and the ILO. It followed a previous residential workshop held in Saly in April 2025, during which substantial feedback was provided on the initial drafts of the texts.

In accordance with the recommendations from the previous session, committee members and stakeholders were invited to submit their comments in writing to the appointed legal firm. The firm incorporated all received contributions to produce a consolidated version of the draft texts, including a draft law, a draft implementing decree, and several technical guidance notes detailing the practical implementation of the incentive measures.

A technical and strategic session to advance the reform

The meeting was held in plenary format, over half a day, at a hotel in Dakar. It was structured around three key moments:

• Presentation of the updated draft texts by the legal firm, highlighting the changes made in response to technical feedback;
• Discussions among committee members to clarify certain legal formulations and ensure alignment with the ADIJEFE project objectives and national formalization and employment policies;
• Official validation of the texts, confirmed by the adoption of a signed report by the Chair of the Monitoring and Evaluation Committee.

This validation marks a turning point for the entrepreneur status, providing Senegal with a consolidated legal foundation to promote informal workers' access to a structured, secure, and incentive-based framework.

A roadmap for effective political support

Beyond legal validation, the workshop also led to the adoption of a roadmap for the political and institutional support of the validated texts. This includes:

• Official transmission of the texts to the Ministry of Tourism and Handicrafts;
• Organization of inter-institutional consultations with the Ministries of Economy and Finance, Justice, Microfinance, Labour, Commerce, etc.;
• Referral to the General Secretariat of the Government (SGG) for integration of the texts into the regulatory and legislative process;

© ilo

© ilo

Institutional advocacy, which will be supported by the ILO

This roadmap aims to ensure the sustainable integration of the entrepreneur status incentive measures into Senegal's legal framework, ultimately facilitating their adoption and implementation.

ILO reaffirms its commitment to decent work accessible to all

Through the ADIJEFE project, the ILO supports the Senegalese government's efforts to promote an inclusive transition to the formal economy. The entrepreneur status, as a tool for recognition, protection, and support of informal economic actors, represents a strategic lever to improve access to social protection, financing, markets, and decent employment opportunities.

The validation of these texts is a key milestone in operationalizing a framework that values the efforts of informal entrepreneurs and offers them a pathway to formality. The ILO will continue to support authorities and social partners in this structural transformation, which also represents a promise of inclusion and social justice.