CASE STUDIES FROM AFRICA

3. Proactive policies in services, which include specific interventions to promote exports
and/or investment in BPO and ICT services.
The Fundamentals
Labour/Human Capital
Empirical literature points to the availability and quality of human resources as one of the primary
factors shaping services export competitiveness. By extension, ensuring the availability of a critical
mass of adequately trained labour has been essential for underpinning Senegal’s robust BPO and
ITS industries.
Population
Although Senegal is relatively small when compared to Egypt, South Africa, and Morocco, its
young workforce (15–39 years, which is the most commonly employed age group by BPO centres
and ICT firms) is larger than some of its competitors such as Mauritius and Tunisia (see Figure 5a).
Literacy and Education
Regardless of population size, Senegal has a low literacy rate compared to other attractive ICT and
BPO locations in Africa (see Figure 5b). In addition, Senegal has a low secondary school and higher
education enrolment rate compared to these locations (see Figures 5c and 5d). This can dampen the
use and dissemination of online content and applications.
Training Schools
The quality of Senegal’s educational institutions ranges from average to strong. While math and
science education programs are viewed as being of average quality, Senegal’s business and
management schools are perceived as being strong (Figures 5e and 5f). In consultations with ICT
services providers, notably those working in the field of software development and information
systems security, difficulties were highlighted in recruiting quality staff due to the mismatch
between what was being taught in schools and the state of technology in those areas. A number of
Senegalese schools, however, command a good reputation for the quality of their computer science
and engineering graduates—which have become sought after in the domestic market.
Unfortunately, the number of graduates from these schools is not adequate for satisfying the export
market.
The training schools that having helped to shape Senegal’s comparative advantage in ICT/BPO
services include (i) the Superior Polytechnic School of Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar
(UCAD), which graduates several ICT engineers per year; (ii) the Mathematics Department of
Gaston Berger University of Saint-Louis; (iii) the Multinational Higher School of
Telecommunication, based in Dakar and specialised in telecom training; and (iv) the Centre
d’études des sciences et techniques de l’information (CESTI), which specialises in ICT for the media.
Other private schools such as ISM and SupdeCo have also developed successful ICT training
streams.
One of the main weaknesses of the training being provided for call centres in Senegal is the absence
of strong English language components, although a growing number of higher education
institutions are offering French/English bilingual programs. An increasing number of higher
education institutions are now offering programs exclusively (or predominantly) in English.
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