Senegal has just taken a major step in the fight against document fraud thanks to a pilot project funded by the Ministry of the Interior and Administration of the Republic of Poland, implemented with the Inter-ministerial Committee for Combating Irregular Migration and the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD).

This program, focused on training trainers, aims to strengthen the capacity of defense and security forces responsible for authenticating identity and travel documents.

Deployed in three phases, the project first brought together eleven Senegalese agents in Valletta from September 29 to October 1, 2025, then in Brussels from October 27 to 31, 2025 before a final local appropriation stage in Dakar, from December 1 to 5, 2025 at the National Police Training Directorate.

Two pairs of trainers then mentored 24 agents to test and transfer the skills they had acquired. A formal ceremony held on Friday, December 5th, marked the program's conclusion with the official presentation of certificates.

The training sessions covered techniques for examining secure documents, detecting forgeries, analyzing printouts, personalization, and authentication methods. The goal is to strengthen document security, combat transnational crime, and improve border control.

The testimonials from participants illustrate the scope of the project.

Warrant Officer Thiaka Mbaye of the Passport Directorate spoke about the difficulties related to the authentication of parental authorizations which are often falsified.

"The training enabled us to use technical and digital means to verify the authenticity of documents. The frauds we encounter often concern parental authorizations, which pose real authentication difficulties," he said.

Captain Mariem Demba Mbodj of the maritime gendarmerie emphasizes the importance of distinguishing genuine documents from fakes during checks in rural and border areas, including when dealing with counterfeit banknotes.

"On the ground, particularly in rural areas and at borders, we face numerous falsifications. This training now allows us to accurately distinguish genuine documents from fake ones, whether it be identity cards, vehicle documents or even counterfeit banknotes in circulation," she reassured.

At the CILMI communications division, Adjutant Bara Niang points out that the 3,700 arrests recorded in 2025, two-thirds of which were of foreigners, prove that migration networks use falsified documents to deceive controls.

Adjutant Modou Fall of the Directorate of File Automation, for his part, warned about frauds initiated at the civil status level to then obtain documents that appear authentic.

"Forgers often start with documents from the civil registry to claim they are genuine. The fight must be strengthened at the local level because document fraud fuels organized crime, cybercrime and various forms of trafficking."

In a context where Senegal has become a transit and destination country, this initiative strengthens the protection of civil status, migration control and national security.

The completion of this program marks a strategic step forward in modernizing Senegal's system for combating document fraud.