Everything Coop, Vernon Oakes interviews Pape M.D. Sene

Papa Sene has been serving with NCBA CLUSA for three decades, but has a life’s history of accomplishments in the cooperative movement and their impact on development. Sene grew up in Naikhar, Senegal, where cooperating was a natural way of life. Throughout his life, he shared, taught, enhanced, and finally globalized the values and practicality of cooperatives everywhere he went. He began spreading the message of cooperating in the Boy Scouts, but moved outside of scouting when he led a transformative co-op housing movement in Dakar in the 1960s. Sene began with CLUSA as a consultant, eventually leading the design of the “CLUSA Approach,” a method which has been used across sectors and around the world. This approach has since been applied to natural resource management, community health, and governance strengthening. During his 30 years with NCBA CLUSA, Sene has been recognized by USAID and the World Bank for his achievements. He has also written several books and received numerous awards.