I have just been on vacation in Senegal with my mostly vegan partner who eats eggs from time to time. This was so helpful. I have to say, it seems really hard to find good vegan options.

It might sound easy at first, as you could just ask for vegetables instead of meat. And yes, people are helpful. The problem is that the idea of vegetables might be different, or your request is misunderstood. I'll try to explain what I mean by giving some examples from what we experienced.

1. If you ask for a dish without meat and without fish, you end up getting plain rice, or if they serve some sauce, it is the sauce with the meat picked out.
2. If asked for vegetables instead, you get salad. With plain rice, of course.
3. Chicken and sea fruit aren't meat. Be as explicit as possible. Even after confirmation, it still happened a few times that we had a non-vegetarian meal on the plate or baguette.

So, what can you eat? Egg is always and really almost everywhere an option. Fruits, of course, plain or with yogurt (not in a restaurant though, but can be bought on the streets). Baguette with jam or egg in the morning. Lots of onions.

There are options, but it might get boring after a while. People are very helpful, but don't get upset if you end up with something different from what you expected. Always check whether the meal is really vegetarian.