SOCIAL-TERRITORIAL INNOVATIONS AND LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: THE CASE OF NGAYE MÉKHÉ, SENEGAL

Abstract

The socio-economic development of Senegal depends on endogenous economic dynamics that valorize local resources in urban and rural areas and reduce poverty.

This is the case of leather craftsmanship in the commune of Ngaye Mekhe which is based on the transformation of traditional knowledge into a  territorial resource that has been structured into a local economy. These economic activities help to reduce the poverty of vulnerable groups, in particular women, who have positioned themselves  in the resale of shoes and the creation of a dress-making and embroidery activity through leather work. In fact, hand embroidery done by women completes the leather chain. Women have also invested in the fast food sector, making the commune Ngaye Mekhe a stopover on the road to the Dakar and inland towns such as Touba and Darou Mousti.

However, globalization threatens this endogenous dynamic. Its maintenance requires an updating and an adaptation of the local actors and thus it is urgent to improve the training, apprenticeship and development system, by establishing a vocational training sector to promote leather business, improving  the quality of products and their competitiveness of Senegalese crafts in the international leather value chains.

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