THE European Commission has approved 282m euros ($254m) in aid to Senegal over five years. The new allocation is 10% more than the last one accorded to the West African nation, and is in the form of grants and gifts, said the statement from the commission’s office in Senegal. The aid comes from the 9th European Development Fund, which runs from 2000 to 2005 and which has a budget of 13.5bn euros for 77 former colonies of EU nations.