Senegal, a stable country in West Africa

AA / Dakar

Senegal gained its independence from France in 1960 and is positioned among the leading countries in the region with its institutionalized democracy and stable structure.

It is surrounded by Mauritania, Mali, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau and the Atlantic Ocean and is the only country bordering The Gambia.

Senegal has an area of ​​196,722 square kilometers and is considered the gateway to West Africa.

The capital, Dakar, is home to a large number of international organizations and companies due to its security and convenient location.

The West African offices of organizations such as the United Nations, International Monetary Fund, International Organization for Migration, World Health Organization and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) are located at Dakar as well as many international media.

The country has regarding 16 million inhabitants. The main ethnic groups are the Wolofs, Fulanis and Serers.

French is the official language of the country and there are many local languages, especially Wolof and Fulani, which are spoken by 80% of the population.

Senegal, in which the Portuguese slave traders arrived at the beginning of the 15th century, witnessed the colonial activities of Portugal, the Netherlands, England and France, respectively.

The island of Gorée off Dakar, used as one of the most important centers of the slave trade, still carries the painful memories of more than 20 million Africans who were sold as slaves.

Senegal was born on April 4, 1960 following the dissolution of the Senegal-Mali Federation.

The country has never been the scene of a coup. Four presidents have succeeded each other in power, making Senegal one of the most stable democracies in Africa.

The country is governed by a parliamentary system. The president is elected for a 5-year term by direct two-round ballot.

The current President, Macky Sall came to power in the March 2012 elections and began his second term by winning the February 2019 elections.

– Economic table

Second in terms of industrial development following Côte d’Ivoire among French-speaking African countries, Senegal has grown by more than 6% every year since 2014.

According to data from the World Bank and the African Development Bank (AfDB), the country recorded a gross domestic product (GDP) of $24.9 billion in 2020, while the GDP per capita in the same year was $1,430.

Although Senegal’s economy grew by more than 6% every year from 2014 to 2018, real GDP shrank to 4.4% in 2019 and 0.87% in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. .

Under the Emerging Senegal Plan implemented by the government since 2014, infrastructure investments in transport, energy, construction and progress in privatization have been the factors that have contributed the most to development.

– 75% of the population lives from agriculture

Senegal is one of the world’s leading producers of phosphate. 70% of its population works in the agricultural sector, while only 16.6% of its territory is favorable to the practice of agriculture.

Agriculture, fishing, the service sector, communication, tourism and mining are the main sectors of the economy. The country has important minerals and mines such as zirconium, titanium, marble, gold and limestone.

– One of the most electrified countries in Africa

Access to energy is one of the subjects that Senegal prioritises. It is one of the 30 African countries where more than 50% of its population has access to electricity.

According to World Bank data, 70% of Senegal’s population has access to electricity.

Furthermore, 88% of the country’s electricity generation comes from fossil fuels and the rest comes from renewable energy. The government of Senegal has also taken various measures in favor of solar energy in recent years, installing two solar power plants in the west of the country.

Under the project called Scaling Solar, with a capacity of regarding 60 megawatts, electricity will be supplied to 554,000 people and 89,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases will no longer be mixed into the atmosphere each year.

– Senegal will host a vaccine production center

Although Senegal has been badly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, it has also brought various opportunities.

The German biotechnology company BioNTech has signed an agreement with Senegal and Rwanda on the construction of production centers for mRNA vaccines.

Work on the production center will start in the middle of this year and the first container factory module to produce the vaccine will arrive in Senegal and Rwanda in the second half of this year.

Senegal will thus have, alongside Rwanda, the first production center on the African continent to produce the Covid-19 vaccine.

– Erdogan’s fifth visit to Senegal

Turkey’s foreign representation office opened in Dakar in 1962, becoming one of the first Turkish embassies in Africa.

Relations took on another dimension with the opening of a Senegalese embassy in Ankara in August 2006.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last visited Senegal on February 28, 2020, while Senegalese President Macky Sall paid a working visit to Turkey on January 30, 2021.

President Sall also attended the Third Turkey-Africa Partnership Summit held in Istanbul from December 16-18, 2021.

President Erdoğan is currently making his fifth visit to Senegal.

– 1.2 billion dollar project of Turkish companies

According to data from the Council for Foreign Economic Relations (DEIK), in 2021 Turkey sold $529.5 million worth of products to Senegal, while it bought $10.9 million worth of products from that country. . Exports to Senegal increased by 47% year-on-year, while imports decreased by 43%.

“Iron and steel”, “steel products” and “electrical machinery and appliances” are the top three sectors where Turkish exporters sold the most products in Senegal last year.

Turkey has become the 40th country where Senegal exports and the 8th country where it imports the most. The trade volume between Turkey and Senegal reached 550 million dollars.

The total amount of projects carried out (33) by Turkish companies in Senegal amounted to 1.2 billion dollars.

– Turkish institutions in Senegal

A large number of Turkish non-governmental organizations are actively involved in humanitarian aid in the country. The Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) has been operating there since April 2007.

There is also an Anadolu Agency correspondent in the capital Dakar. Turkish Airlines flies every day of the week.

The Yunus Emre Institute has been carrying out Turkish language teaching activities in Dakar for five years, and the Turkish Red Crescent Delegation in Senegal also carries out various activities.

Schools affiliated with the Turkish Maarif Foundation operate in the cities of Dakar, Thiès and Saint Louis.

*Translated from Turkish by Alex Sinhan Bogmis

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