FONSIS - SINOHYDRO partnership: A partnership agreement between two private-sector bodies to finance feasibility studies

The partnership between the Fonds Souverain d'Investissements Stratégiques du Sénégal (FONSIS) and the Chinese company SINOHYDRO, for the studies of the Large Water Transfer (GTE) project, is based on a memorandum of understanding between two private law entities, FONSIS S.A and SINOHYDRO, and not on a public contract.

Selon le Code des marchés publics, un marché public implique un contrat onéreux établi par une autorité contractante pour ses besoins en travaux, fournitures ou services. Le partenariat FONSIS-SINOHYDRO ne s’apparente pas à un marché public passé de gré à gré ou via une entente directe. Dans le cas présent, SINOHYDRO prend en charge tous les coûts des études, sans contribution financière de l’État.

SINOHYDRO was selected after a competition between five (5) international companies, recognized for their expertise in hydraulic infrastructures. The seven (7) eligibility criteria selected included full responsibility for the studies (technical, financial, environmental), technical and financial capacity, completion of similar projects in Africa, prior transmission of the cost estimate for the studies, ability to propose financing for subsequent phases, availability of a team based in Dakar and commitment to technical assistance for subsequent phases.

Le FONSIS, en tant qu’instrument stratégique de l’État, mobilise des capitaux privés pour réduire la pression des projets stratégiques sur le budget national, à travers des schémas de co-investissement avec le secteur privé national et international. Conformément à cette mission, le FONSIS a reçu un mandat d’exécution signé conjointement par le Ministère de l’Hydraulique et de l’Assainissement (MHA) et le Ministère des Finances et du Budget (MFB) lui confiant notamment la responsabilité de la préparation et du développement du Projet de Grand Transfert d’Eau, en collaboration avec un partenaire technique.

The GTE project will only be pursued and the builder recruited if the State is satisfied with the quality of the feasibility studies covering all technical, economic, financial and environmental aspects. A first batch of studies will form the basis for the project's declaration to the Organization for the Development of the Senegal River (OMVS).

The GTE project is an ambition that our country has been striving to realize for just over 40 years. It aims to guarantee access to drinking water for over 5 million Senegalese living in the cities of Dakar, Mbour, Thiès and Touba, as well as irrigating almost 12,000 hectares of land in the Niayes area.