Electronics Shops in Saint-Louis: A Participative Mapping of Value, Quality, and Prices Within the Market Hierarchy in a Secondary Senegalese City

Pablo De Roulet (), Jérôme Chenal, Jean-Claude Baraka Munyaka, Moussa Diallo, Derguene Mbaye, Mamadou Lamine Ndiaye, Madoune Robert Seye, Dimitri Samuel Adjanohoun, Tatiana Mbengue, Djiby Sow and Cheikh Samba Wade
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Pablo De Roulet: Urban and Regional Planning Community (CEAT), École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
Jérôme Chenal: Urban and Regional Planning Community (CEAT), École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
Jean-Claude Baraka Munyaka: Urban and Regional Planning Community (CEAT), École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
Moussa Diallo: Département de Génie Informatique, École Supérieure Polytechnique de Dakar (ESP), Dakar 10700, Senegal
Derguene Mbaye: Département de Génie Informatique, École Supérieure Polytechnique de Dakar (ESP), Dakar 10700, Senegal
Mamadou Lamine Ndiaye: Département de Génie Informatique, École Supérieure Polytechnique de Dakar (ESP), Dakar 10700, Senegal
Madoune Robert Seye: Département de Génie Informatique, École Supérieure Polytechnique de Dakar (ESP), Dakar 10700, Senegal
Dimitri Samuel Adjanohoun: Unité de Formation et de Recherche Lettres et Sciences Humaines, Université Gaston Berger de Saint-Louis-du-Sénégal (UGB), Saint-Louis 32000, Senegal
Tatiana Mbengue: Unité de Formation et de Recherche Lettres et Sciences Humaines, Université Gaston Berger de Saint-Louis-du-Sénégal (UGB), Saint-Louis 32000, Senegal
Djiby Sow: Unité de Formation et de Recherche Lettres et Sciences Humaines, Université Gaston Berger de Saint-Louis-du-Sénégal (UGB), Saint-Louis 32000, Senegal
Cheikh Samba Wade: Unité de Formation et de Recherche Lettres et Sciences Humaines, Université Gaston Berger de Saint-Louis-du-Sénégal (UGB), Saint-Louis 32000, Senegal

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 19, 1-21

Abstract: Digital connectivity depends not only on infrastructure, but also on the material devices used to access networks. This study examines electronic devices’ availability and prices in Saint-Louis, a mid-sized Senegalese city, to address the lack of empirical research on African digital markets. With data on material connectivity being scarce, this paper provides a baseline description as grounds for future research. Using a participatory mapping approach over three weeks in September 2024, the research assessed the range, condition, and distribution of smartphones across central and neighborhood markets. Descriptive statistics and spatial analysis illustrate key trends. Results show a market heavily structured around second-hand smartphones, where device quality and prices adjust to economic power. Imported second-hand devices are often high-end, with prices above many new items of cheaper brands, while locally used items have much depreciated prices compared to either new or imported second-hand ones. Market locations are widespread for common items and clustered for specialized devices, consistent with central place theory. By documenting the material foundations of digital communication, this study provides new empirical evidence on African urban device markets and highlights the need to consider material access alongside infrastructure in digital connectivity debates.

Keywords: electronics; digital; youth; participatory GIS (PGIS); urban clusters; markets; African cities; sustainable economic development; e-waste (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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