Copyright reform in Senegal

EIFL’s Copyright Coordinator in Senegal, Awa Cissé, is a leading advocate for the Marrakesh Treaty for persons with print disabilities and fair copyright rules for libraries

EIFL has engaged in copyright law reform in Senegal since 2009.

We provided training and built capacity among librarians in copyright and advocacy, supported national law reform, and encouraged ratification by Senegal of the Marrakesh Treaty for persons with print disabilities.

With EIFL support, our partner, Consortium des Bibliothèques de l’Enseignement Supérieur du Sénégal (COBESS), raised awareness of copyright issues among the local library community, supported copyright education, reviewed the copyright law, advocated for reform, and established relations with the Copyright Office and relevant government ministries.

A priority for COBESS was ratification of the Marrakesh Treaty by Senegal. When Senegal signed the treaty on 28 June 2013, it signalled its intent to ratify. An advocacy campaign that began in 2014 has borne fruit - in July 2026, Senegal's Council of Ministers approved a bill authorizing the President to ratify the Marrakesh Treaty. When the instrument of ratification is signed by the President, it will be deposited at WIPO. Three months later, Senegal will be formally bound by the treaty that requires the adoption of copyright exceptions giving people with print disabilities, and libraries, the right to make and share accessible format copies, including across borders.

TIMELINE

2009 – ongoing

MAIN ACTIVITIES AND ACHIEVEMENTS

Built capacity of library leadership in copyright issues and advocacy

In 2009, EIFL’s Copyright Coordinator in Senegal, Awa Cissé, participated in the 2nd EIFL Copyright and Libraries Global Conference in Istanbul.
In 2011, Awa Cissé was the first librarian from Senegal to take part in copyright negotiations at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). Awa joined the EIFL team at:
- five sessions of WIPO’s Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights in 2011 (SCCR/23), 2017 (SCCR/34), 2019 (SCCR/39), 2021 (SCCR/41), 2022 (SCCR/42).
- two high-level WIPO events in 2019 - a regional seminar in Kenya with heads of copyright offices from more than 40 African states (read more here), and an international conference in Geneva on Copyright Limitations and Exceptions for Libraries, Archives, Museums and Educational & Research Institutions (read more here).
In 2013, EIFL and COBESS held a two-day seminar in Dakar on teaching copyright to librarians. Day one featured academics from Senegal, Nigeria, Ghana, Mali, Zambia and the U.S. discussing effective use of EIFL's "Copyright for Librarians" curriculum. Day two brought together officials from the Copyright Office (Bureau Sénégalais du Droit d'Auteur - BSDA), Ministry of Higher Education and Research, UNESCO Dakar, and Cheikh Anta Diop University (UCAD) with 40 local librarians to debate how Senegal’s copyright law impacts libraries, ending in agreement that COBESS and BSDA would continue discussions on necessary legislative improvements.
In 2023, Awa Cissé took part in a major regional conference, "A Right to Research in Africa?”, co-organized by EIFL in South Africa. Over 280 legal academics, researchers, librarians, policy-makers and Geneva-based diplomats debated the copyright framework needed for modern African research. Civil society advocates also held a separate meeting during the conference to discuss cooperation ideas and future plans.

Advocated for national copyright law reform

EIFL supported two COBESS projects on copyright reform.

Project title: The basis for all development: libraries in Senegal advocate for access to knowledge (2012). The outputs included suggestions for copyright law amendments drafted by a local, specialist lawyer, a joint Declaration of Principles on Exceptions and Limitations to Copyright for Libraries and Archives by COBESS and ASBAD (Senegalese Association of Librarians, Archivists and Documentalists), and a new partnership with the Copyright Office (BSDA). Read more about the project here, check out the project poster here.
Project title: Contributing to Public Interest Copyright Policy in Senegal and at WIPO: Promoting Access to Knowledge and the Right to Research (2022-2023). The project established a coalition of partners in Senegal (librarians, researchers, disability organizations and legal experts), held a public workshop for stakeholders, organized consultation meetings with government officials, and translated three documents into French as a baseline for future advocacy reviewing library exceptions in the national copyright law to maximize access to knowledge and better serve students, researchers and academic community - 'What can libraries in Senegal do under Copyright Act, 2008?'; EIFL Core Exceptions Checklist, Examples of Copyright Exceptions that Permit Library Activities. (Read more about the project, part of the ‘Right to Research in Africa’, here).

Supported ratification of the Marrakesh Treaty in Senegal

In 2014, EIFL supported a COBESS-led advocacy campaign for ratification of the Marrakesh Treaty for persons with print disabilities by Senegal. The campaign organized meetings with key stakeholders - Sightsavers West Africa, Amitiés des Aveugles du Sénégal (AAS), ministries of health, culture and foreign affairs, the Copyright Office, and the Association of Senegalese Publishers - to build awareness of the treaty's benefits and role of libraries in its successful implementation. Public events generated wide media coverage, including a specially commissioned sketch by Dakar community theatre group Espoir de la Banlieue. These activities helped get the Marrakesh Treaty onto the agenda of the 2015 Interministerial Council on Books and Reading. Check out the project poster here.
Between 2015 and 2017, EIFL's Copyright Coordinator, Awa Cissé, advocated for the Marrakesh Treaty at regional and national events:
- represented EIFL at the 6th Africa Forum in Uganda for blindness activists and leaders (2015) - gave a presentation on the partnership between COBESS, Sightsavers West Africa and AAS in support of ratification. At an interactive workshop titled "Tackling the Book Famine in Africa - How the Marrakesh Treaty Works", shared experiences engaging with the government.
- participated in an African Ministerial Conference on Intellectual Property for an Emerging Africa in Senegal (2015) co-organized by the Government of Senegal and WIPO - was a panelist at the session "Promoting Social Inclusion and Building a Learning Landscape: The Marrakesh VIP Treaty."
- gave a presentation at a high-level seminar, “Ending the book famine in Africa: libraries and the promise of the Marrakesh Treaty” (2017) organized by EIFL in Lesotho - discussed strategies for effective advocacy by libraries for ratification of the Marrakesh Treaty.
In July 2026, Senegal's Council of Ministers approved a bill giving the President authority to ratify the Marrakesh Treaty.

“The story of advocacy for the Marrakesh Treaty does not end with this historic step forward. A new phase is beginning: implementation of the treaty into national law. It will require the same spirit of cooperation, the same ability to bring stakeholders together, and the same determination that has driven the coalition since 2014.” – Awa Cissé, EIFL Copyright Coordinator in Senegal.

Read Awa’s reflections on twelve years of collective advocacy leading to this important milestone for people with print disabilities in Senegal.