Senegal AI Regulation Overview

Overview

The Republic of Senegal has established its artificial intelligence framework primarily through high-level policy initiatives and foundational digital sector legislation rather than standalone AI legislation. The centerpiece of this approach is the National Strategy for the Development of Artificial Intelligence in Senegal (SNDIA), launched in September 2023 by the Ministry of Communication, Telecommunications and the Digital Economy (MCTEN). Positioned as a catalyst for the broader Plan Sénégal Émergent (PSE) and Digital Senegal 2025 strategy, the SNDIA provides policy direction aimed at fostering national sovereignty, youth employment, public sector efficiency, and ethical innovation across francophone West Africa.

While Senegal does not possess a unified AI law, its governance landscape incorporates several key statutory pillars that intersect with AI deployment. These include Law No. 2020-01 (Senegal Startup Act), which provides targeted fiscal, administrative, and financial incentives for high-potential technological enterprises; Law No. 2018-28 (Electronic Communications Code), which regulates network access, net neutrality, and value-added services; and Law No. 2016-30, which modernized the Code of Criminal Procedure to establish clear procedural frameworks for handling electronic evidence and investigating computer-related offenses.

Regulatory Approach

Senegal's regulatory approach to artificial intelligence can be characterized as policy-led, soft-law driven, and anchored in existing digital infrastructure regulations. Instead of introducing rigid prescriptive requirements or broad horizontal AI prohibitions, the state relies on the SNDIA to establish ethical principles, encourage research capacity, and promote socio-economic adoption. Strategic initiatives such as the launch of Afrik'IA at the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie in September 2024 and the New Technological Deal announced by President Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar Faye in February 2025 highlight an active focus on building local capacity, digital sovereignty, and ethical alignment in partnership with academic and international bodies.

Operational governance of technologies enabling AI relies on sector-specific legislative mechanisms. Telecommunications and network providers fall under the oversight of the Autorité de Régulation des Télécommunications et des Postes (ARTP) pursuant to Law No. 2018-28, which mandates non-discriminatory access, net neutrality, and infrastructure sharing. Innovative tech ventures operating in the AI ecosystem are governed by the Commission d’Évaluation, d’Appui et de Coordination (CEAC) created under the Senegal Startup Act, ensuring that regulatory oversight balances compliance with fiscal support and administrative facilitation.

Key AI Legislation

Senegal currently regulates the foundational components of the AI ecosystem through policy guidelines and enactments in electronic communications, digital entrepreneurship, and cybercrime:

• National Strategy for the Development of Artificial Intelligence in Senegal (SNDIA) (2023): A comprehensive policy framework launched by MCTEN in September 2023 to guide responsible, ethical AI development, build human capital, strengthen computing infrastructure, and drive economic performance in alignment with UNESCO's Readiness Assessment Methodology (RAM).
• Loi n° 2020-01 relative à la création et à la promotion de la startup (Senegal Startup Act) (2020): Promulgated in January 2020, this law provides a statutory framework for labeling innovative enterprises, offering corporate tax exemptions, customs relief on R&D equipment, public procurement preferences, and administrative mechanisms such as startup leave.
• Loi n° 2018-28 portant Code des Communications Électroniques (2018): Promulgated in December 2018, this code establishes the regulatory framework for electronic communications networks, value-added digital services, net neutrality, infrastructure sharing, and the regulatory mandate of the ARTP.
• Loi n° 2016-30 modifiant le Code de procédure pénale (2016): Enacted in November 2016, this law introduces procedural standards for digital forensics, judicial authorization for real-time traffic data collection and interception, computer system searches, and data preservation orders.

Governance & Enforcement Bodies

Governance of Senegal's AI strategy and underlying digital legal framework is distributed across several specialized administrative and regulatory bodies. Executive leadership is anchored by the Ministry of Communication, Telecommunications and the Digital Economy (MCTEN), which leads the national AI policy implementation, coordinates digital development strategies, and supervises key institutional mechanisms dedicated to technological growth.

Technical regulation of digital infrastructure and communications services is handled by the Autorité de Régulation des Télécommunications et des Postes (ARTP). The ARTP manages scarce resources, enforces net neutrality, regulates market power, and resolves technical disputes. For startups and technology innovators, institutional governance is executed through the Commission d’Évaluation, d’Appui et de Coordination (CEAC), which manages the statutory startup labeling system (SenStartUp), oversees compliance, and coordinates access to funding and business support structures under the supervision of MCTEN.

Penalties & Enforcement

Because Senegal has not enacted a specific AI law with standalone statutory fines for AI algorithms, enforcement measures and penalties are administered through existing legislative regimes governing telecommunications, criminal procedure, and data processing. Under Law No. 2018-28 (Electronic Communications Code), the ARTP holds independent regulatory authority to inspect operations, issue technical standards, and impose administrative sanctions against non-compliant network operators or digital service providers that violate licensing regimes, net neutrality mandates, or competition obligations.

Under Law No. 2016-30 amending the Code of Criminal Procedure, legal enforcement regarding digital systems and electronic evidence is subject to strict judicial oversight led by the Procureur de la République, investigating judges, and specialized judicial police officers (OPJ). Procedural safeguards enforced by the Chambre d'accusation ensure that unauthorized data collection or improper search and seizure leads to the nullification of evidence. Additionally, labeled startups under Law No. 2020-01 are subject to ongoing performance monitoring, auditing, and reporting, with non-compliance leading to the revocation of statutory labels and associated tax benefits.

Data Protection Framework

Data protection considerations related to AI systems in Senegal are governed by the Data Protection Law (Law No. 2008-12) and supervised by the Commission de Protection des Données Personnelles (CDP). The CDP serves as the national authority ensuring that data collection, automated processing, and storage respect individual privacy and human dignity. Under the SNDIA policy architecture, ethical AI deployment explicitly requires adherence to national personal data protection rules, maintaining a balance between technological adoption and fundamental rights.

Furthermore, procedural interactions between law enforcement and personal data processing are strictly regulated. Law No. 2016-30 mandates compliance with the 2008 Data Protection Law during criminal investigations involving digital evidence, requiring judicial requisitions for service providers handling traffic or content data. This establishes a legal framework requiring AI systems operating in Senegal to incorporate data protection principles into their underlying architecture.

Sector-Specific Rules

The available context holds no record of dedicated sector-specific AI regulations governing health AI, financial AI algorithms, autonomous vehicles, or workplace automated decision-making systems in Senegal. Instead, sector applications operate under general policy directives set forth in the SNDIA and broader sector regulations.

The SNDIA identifies key focus areas for socio-economic adoption—including public sector transformation, productivity enhancement across economic sectors, and educational human capital development—but does not set down separate statutory sub-codes for individual industries. Specific digital activities across sectors continue to be governed by general rules established under electronic communications laws and digital startup frameworks.

International Alignment

Senegal aligns its artificial intelligence policy frameworks with prominent international and regional initiatives, particularly across the francophone African region. The formulation of the SNDIA integrated expertise and frameworks from UNESCO's Readiness Assessment Methodology (RAM), ensuring that national AI development incorporates global principles on ethical AI, human rights, and social equity from its foundation.

Additionally, Senegal actively collaborates with international bodies and regional multilateral organizations. Notable milestones include the September 2024 launch of Afrik'IA at the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF) and national procedural alignment with international standards on cybercrime, such as the Council of Europe's Budapest Convention (evaluated via the T-CY committee). These relationships reinforce Senegal's commitment to interoperable standards and regional integration in West Africa.

Future Developments

Senegal's legal and regulatory landscape for AI continues to evolve following the consolidation of its digital strategy frameworks. The announcement of the New Technological Deal by President Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar Faye in February 2025 signals prioritized state allocation of resources, legislative refinement, and structural backing for national digital sovereignty and AI innovation.

Operationalization of recent digital frameworks is accelerating through tools such as the 'Écosystème Startup' digital portal, launched in February 2025, alongside implementing decrees adopted under Law No. 2020-01. As AI deployment grows across the public and private sectors, national policy guidelines under the SNDIA are expected to inform potential future legislative proposals regarding data governance and automated systems.

Enforcement Bodies

Agency	Mandate	Key Powers	Website
Ministry of Communication, Telecommunications and the Digital Economy (MCTEN)	Defines national policy and strategic direction for electronic communications and the digital economy, coordinating execution of the SNDIA and overseeing startup frameworks.	Formulates digital policy, initiates legislative reforms, supervises CEAC and digital support funds, and oversees national AI implementation.
Commission de Protection des Données Personnelles (CDP)	Oversees data protection and privacy compliance for personal data processing, including data governance aspects of AI systems.	Monitors personal data processing, ensures compliance with data protection laws, and reviews data handling in judicial and commercial activities.
Autorité de Régulation des Télécommunications et des Postes (ARTP)	Independent regulatory authority tasked with oversight, technical control, resource management, and competition enforcement in electronic communications.	Issues technical standards, resolves disputes between operators, manages spectrum and numbering, inspects services, and imposes administrative sanctions.
Commission d’Évaluation, d’Appui et de Coordination (CEAC)	Administrative authority attached to MCTEN responsible for supervising the startup ecosystem, evaluating applications, and granting the 'SenStartUp' label.	Evaluates startup innovative criteria, grants and revokes official startup labels, monitors performance compliance, and audits labeled entities.