From March 2nd to 7th, 2025, we travelled to Senegal as part of Women Power 2030’s ongoing commitment to advancing gender-responsive climate action and sustainable development programs and policies. During our field visit to the Saloum Delta region, we had the opportunity to witness the dedicated work of Fatou Ndoye, and the impact her feminist organisation, Suxali Jigeen, has had on mangrove ecosystem restoration, energy transition, and the centering of fisherwomen’s perspectives for sustainable solutions. 

Fishing plays a significant cultural and economic role in Senegal. The fishing sector supplies roughly 80% of the country’s protein and provides nearly 70 000 jobs. As an award-winning leader in 2016, one of the aims of Fatou’s work is to revalue the local economy of the Saloum Delta by engaging in the entire fishing value chain. In turn, this creates more employment opportunities for the local population. 

In the fishing sector, decision-making roles are predominantly male dominated. To promote gender equality, Suxali Jigeen provided a training program for fisherwomen to strengthen their leadership skills, organisational management, and public speaking abilities with the aim that they may take part in decision and policy making processes. So far, 20 fisherwomen have actively participated in the local fishing regulation committees, marking a considerable step towards inclusive policy. 

Fatou and her organisation have helped to introduce 200 locally manufactured stoves for the low-carbon transformation of fish and shellfish products. These stoves are used to cook, smoke, dry and process fish and shellfish. As a result, firewood consumption has been reduced by 75%. Suxali Jigeen has also installed solar energy equipment such as water pumps, grinders, and freezers across multiple sites. These will continue to be monitored to measure impact in terms of emission reductions, women’s revenue increase, and improvement of working conditions. The next step they hope to achieve is the total elimination of wood in processing practices and the full replacement of equipment with solar-powered systems. 

In line with our GJSC (Gender Just Climate Solutions) initiatives, Women Power 2030’s partnership with Suxali Jigeen is one example of our ongoing collective efforts to empower women-led solutions in response to gender-just climate solutions. We look forward to offering our continued support and celebrating the strength and leadership of the women creating impactful community action.