Deep economic partnership requested by Senegal's Prime Minister towards Turkey
In a significant development, Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko of Senegal is currently in Istanbul, Turkey, to attend the Türkiye-Senegal Business Forum. During his visit, Sonko has suggested several potential areas for increased cooperation between the two countries, focusing on economic, trade, security, and technological sectors.
Sonko highlighted opportunities for collaboration in power generation, labor-intensive manufacturing, e-commerce, artificial intelligence, healthcare infrastructure, pharmaceuticals, and biomedical equipment. He emphasized the goal of expanding economic ties and increasing bilateral trade, encouraging Turkish companies to invest particularly in Senegal’s Diass Special Economic Zone and taking part in upcoming investment forums.
The discussions between Sonko and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan expanded the cooperation areas to include investment, security, the defense industry, anti-terror efforts, energy, mining, transportation, agriculture, and fishery. Erdoğan noted the presence of nearly 100 Turkish companies operating in Senegal and expressed readiness to support Senegal's National Transformation Agenda "Senegal 2050" by sharing Turkish firms' expertise.
Four cooperation agreements were signed between Senegal and Turkey during Sonko’s visit to Ankara, covering defense, media, and education sectors. These agreements indicate a broadening of ties beyond purely economic areas.
In summary, the potential areas of increased cooperation between Senegal and Turkey as suggested by Prime Minister Sonko include:
- Economic and trade fields: power generation, manufacturing, e-commerce, AI, pharmaceuticals, biomedical equipment
- Investment in strategic zones: such as the Diass Special Economic Zone
- Security and defense cooperation: military technology and anti-terrorism efforts
- Sectoral collaborations: energy, mining, transportation, agriculture, and fisheries
- Cultural and educational exchanges: via media and education agreements
These reflect a comprehensive agenda aimed at deepening bilateral relations and leveraging mutual strengths for Senegal’s national development and Turkey’s growing role in Africa. It is important to note that the specific details of the potential cooperation between the two countries were not disclosed in the article.
This visit to Istanbul is not the first time Türkiye and Senegal have discussed cooperation. The two nations have a history of partnership, and Sonko extended an invitation to Turkish firms to visit the Diass Special Economic Zone near Dakar, Senegal, to explore these opportunities further.
- Prime Minister Sonko proposed the expansion of Turkish businesses in health sector, with a focus on potential collaborations in building healthcare infrastructure, pharmaceuticals, and biomedical equipment, within the scope of increased cooperation between Senegal and Turkey.
- Acknowledging the established presence of Turkish companies in Senegal, Prime Minister Sonko emphasized the need for collaboration in environmental sectors such as renewable energy and mining, as part of the ongoing efforts to broaden the bilateral relationship and contribute to Senegal's national development.
