CESO | SACO: Stronger Economies. Better Lives.

CESO has been strengthening national professional associations, local businesses and civil society organizations in approximately 32 countries in Africa for over 35 years. Please click on Where we work for a complete list of countries in all regions where CESO has been assisting organizations and communities over the course of our more than 45 year history.

We are currently working in Senegal and Burkina Faso.

Senegal

Working with partners in Senegal since 1973, CESO has completed more than 500 assignments, strengthening the local economy and creating economic opportunity across the country. Our current five year commitment (2009-2014) with partners in this country focuses on gender equality, non-governmental organizations, construction and civil engineering, and credit unions. We completed 154 assignments during our previous contract (2004-2009), producing the following results:

• Several business association partners created services, including a cooperative of agricultural producers and an entrepreneurial strategy targeting young people and women in Kaolack.
• CESO and its local governance partners helped establish five new centres of assistance and training for the public, with a particular focus on providing critical support to women as they assume new leadership roles as elected officials.
• A dairy industry created a yoghurt/breakfast cereal, which has potential to provide a nutritious and inexpensive lunch for the student market.

Burkina Faso

CESO has been supporting partners in Burkina Faso since 2001, completing 254 assignments that focus on tourism and hospitality, microfinance, agri-food business, and gender equality; all efforts that mean improved organizational capacity, economic development and social well-being. From 2004-2009, 80 assignments were completed in Burkina Faso. Some of our achievements during this time include:

• Microfinance institutions have increased their membership and savings, enabling them to introduce new financial products; hire additional employees and computerize their operations.
• A group of hotels achieved significant progress in applying quality standards in restaurant and room services as well as in hygiene and sanitation, resulting in an increased rate of occupancy and client satisfaction.
• A private financial institution, which provides services to craftspeople and shopkeepers who normally would not qualify for loans or credit, improved its operating efficiency and developed a payment collection system through the use of computers.

 
CESO’s work in Africa is being carried out through long term collaborations with local program partners.

Project undertaken with the financial support of the Government of Canada provided through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).