Community of Sahel–Saharan States facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Community of Sahel–Saharan States تجمع دول الساحل والصحراء Communauté des Etats Sahélo-Sahariens Comunidade dos Estados Sahelo-Saarianos
Emblem
Founding members      Countries joining later
Headquarters	Tripoli
Official languages	Arabic English French Portuguese
Type	Trade bloc
Membership	29 member states
Leaders
• Secretary General	Brigi Rafini (acting)
Establishment
• Agreement signed	4 February 1998
Area
• Total	14,300,000 km2 (5,500,000 sq mi)
GDP (PPP)	estimate
• Total	$1,350.7 billion (2014)
• Per capita	$1,363.8 (2014)
Website https://archive.uneca.org/oria/pages/cen-sad-community-sahel-saharan-states

The Community of Sahel–Saharan States (CEN-SAD) is a group of countries in Africa. Its main goal is to help these countries work together. They want to create a free trade area. This means goods and people can move easily between member countries.

CEN-SAD holds a big meeting every year. Leaders from all member countries attend this "Conference of Heads of State and Government." They meet in different capital cities. Sometimes, extra meetings are called if a country asks for one.

What is CEN-SAD?

CEN-SAD was started in February 1998. Six countries were the first members. Now, 29 countries belong to this group. A big aim is to make the economies of these countries stronger. They do this by allowing people and goods to move freely. This helps create a large free trade area.

CEN-SAD also works with big international groups. Since 2001, it has a special status at the UN General Assembly. This means it can observe and contribute to discussions at the United Nations. It also partners with UN agencies like UNDP and WHO. These partnerships help with development, health, and other important areas.

Working Together for Progress

CEN-SAD members are also part of other African economic groups. These groups all aim to create a larger African Economic Community. CEN-SAD's idea of a free trade area is a step towards this. However, it can be tricky because other groups like ECOWAS and COMESA have similar goals.

Key Decisions at Summits

Leaders meet at summits to make important decisions. These meetings help guide CEN-SAD's work.

2005 Summit in Burkina Faso

In June 2005, leaders met in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. They decided to create a "high authority for water, agriculture and seeds." This group helps countries improve farming. They focus on managing water and choosing the best seeds. The leaders also planned to study building a railway line. This railway would connect countries like Libya, Chad, and Niger. It would make trade easier and help connect more areas.

2007 Summit in Libya

In June 2007, African leaders met in Libya. They worked to solve problems between Chad and Sudan. They also aimed to support Somalia's government.

2008 Summit in Benin

The 10th CEN-SAD summit was held in Cotonou, Benin, in June 2008. The main topic was "Rural Development and Food Security." This means helping people in the countryside and making sure everyone has enough food.

2013 Summit in Chad

In January 2013, the CEN-SAD meeting took place in N'Djamena, Chad. People discussed how Morocco might take a bigger leadership role in the organization.

CEN-SAD Games

Since 2009, CEN-SAD countries have held special events. These are called the Community of Sahel–Saharan States Games. They include both sports and cultural festivals.

The first Games were in Niamey, Niger, from February 4 to 14, 2009. Thirteen countries took part in sports for young people under 20. These sports included athletics, basketball, judo, football, handball, table tennis, and traditional wrestling. There were also six cultural events. These included singing, traditional dancing, painting, sculpture, and photography. The second Games were planned for February 2011 in N’Djamena, Chad.

Who are the Members?

CEN-SAD has 29 member states. Here is a list of the countries and when they joined. All these countries are also members of the United Nations and the African Union.

Member state	Joined	Area (km2)	Population		GDP (PPP) ($US)		Notes (all states are also members of the United Nations and of the African Union)
			(inh.)	(date)	(millions)	(per capita)
Benin	2002	114,763	10,008,749	2013 census	29,918	2,552	also member of ECOWAS and UEMOA
Burkina Faso	1998–	274,200	14,017,262	2006 census	45,339	792	also member of ECOWAS and UEMOA
Cape Verde	2009–	4,033	543,767	2019 est.	4,323	3,651	also member of ECOWAS
Central African Republic	1999–	622,984	4,666,368	2019 est.	4,262	823	also member of ECCAS and CEMAC
Chad	1998–	1,284,000	13,670,084	2015 est.	30,000	2,428	also member of ECCAS and CEMAC
Comoros	2007–	1,861	850,688	2018 est.	2,446	2,799	also member of SADC and COMESA
Djibouti	2000–	23,200					also member of IGAD and COMESA
Egypt	2001–	1,010,408					also member of COMESA, candidate to AMU
Eritrea	1999–	117,600					also member of IGAD and COMESA
Gambia	2000–	10,689					also member of ECOWAS and WAMZ
Ghana	2005–	239,567					also member of ECOWAS and WAMZ
Guinea	2007–	245,857					also member of ECOWAS and WAMZ
Guinea-Bissau	2004–	36,125					also member of ECOWAS and UEMOA
Côte d'Ivoire	2004–	322,463					also member of ECOWAS and UEMOA
Kenya	2007–	580,367					also member of IGAD, EAC and COMESA
Liberia	2004–	111,369					also member of ECOWAS and WAMZ
Libya	1998–	1,759,541	6,871,287	2019 est.			also member of AMU and COMESA
Mali	1998–	1,240,192					also member of ECOWAS and UEMOA
Mauritania	2007–	1,030,000					also member of AMU
Morocco	2001–	446,550 or 710,850					also member of AMU
Niger	1998–	1,267,000					also member of ECOWAS and UEMOA
Nigeria	2001–	923,769					also member of ECOWAS and WAMZ
São Tomé and Príncipe	2007–	1,001					also member of ECCAS
Senegal	2000–	196,712					also member of ECOWAS and UEMOA
Sierra Leone	2005–	71,740	7,092,113	2015 census	12,177	1,608	also member of ECOWAS and WAMZ
Somalia	2001–	637,657					also member of IGAD and COMESA
Sudan	1998–	1,886,068 (2,505,813 before 2011)	41,592,539 30,894,000	2020 est. 2009 est.	177,678	4,232	also member of IGAD and COMESA
Togo	2002–	56,785					also member of ECOWAS and UEMOA
Tunisia	2001–	163,610	11,722,038	2019 census	159,707	3,713	also member of AMU and COMESA
Total (29 members)		14,680,111 or 14,944,411