The minister in charge of the Senegal Emerging Plan of the Republic of Senegal, Cheikh Kanté, today held a meeting with Spanish businessmen at the CEOE headquarters, to analyze the guidelines of said Plan. The Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Fernando Martín Valenzuela, spoke at the inauguration of the day; the general director of International Commerce and Investments, María Paz Ramos; the director of International Chamber of Commerce, Jaime Montalvo; and the ambassador of Senegal in Spain, Mariame Sy, as well as the president of CEOE International. The Secretary of State of the Railway Network of Senegal, Mayacine Camara, closed the meeting.
The president of CEOE International, Marta Blanco, highlighted the relevance of the business meeting given the existing potential in commercial and investment economic relations between Senegal and Spain. This activity is a continuation of other business meetings, such as the last Multilateral Partnership held in Senegal at the beginning of April organized by ICEX. The interest of the meeting also lies in the important Senegalese delegation that has moved to Madrid and in the individual and sectorial meetings that will be held after the plenary session. Blanco highlighted the importance of following up on these days and offered, in this sense, the collaboration of the CEOE.
The Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Fernando Martín Valenzuela, indicated that Africa is a continent of great dynamism, for which the III Plan Africa, approved last March, has been drawn up, based on a current analysis of the region and the Spanish presence In the continent. Globally, it represents an instrument for the political development of the 2030 Agenda in the subcontinent, he reported.
The Secretary of State assured that the growth of Senegal is strong and sustained and that the trade of Spanish companies in this country has increased by more than 100%. Martín also explained that the celebration of the Olympic Youth Games in Senegal in 2022 offers a series of opportunities for Spanish companies to collaborate in sectors such as infrastructure, energy or tourism, among others.
Sectors
The general director of International Trade and Investment, María Paz Ramos, confirmed the commitment of the Secretary of State for Trade for the Senegalese market and insisted that our companies should be more present in the African country. He also reported that Senegal has grown above 6% in the last four years and is expected to reach 10% or 11% in 2023 thanks to the discovery of hydrocarbon deposits, which are still to be exploited. Ramos mentioned sectors of opportunity for Spanish companies in the country, such as agriculture, energy, water management and treatment, infrastructure or tourism, among others. In this regard, he also mentioned the Agreement for the Promotion and Reciprocal Protection of Investments and the Agreement to Avoid Double Taxation, as key elements to boost our bilateral relations.
In his speech, the International Director of the Chamber of Spain, Jaime Montalvo has expressed the support of this institution, and the network cameral, to strengthen bilateral economic relations between Spain and Senegal. Montalvo also stressed that "the set of strategic policies carried out by the country's government has become the reference framework of its economic policy, where Spain wants to share the main objective of making Senegal a logistics hub, industrial , aerial, mining and tourism for the year 2035. "
Senegal
The minister in charge of the Senegal Emerging Plan of the Republic of Senegal, Cheikh Kanté, highlighted the excellent relations that both countries maintain, taking into account that between 2014 and 2017 Spain invested more than 50 million euros in the African country. The Minister pointed out that in 2014 the Emerging Senegal Plan was launched, which focused on structural transformation, the development of human capital and peace and security, among other areas.
Kanté explained that the Plan prioritized the not only qualitative but also inclusive growth of the country and functioned, in large part, thanks to multilateralism. Therefore, he said, in the Second Plan, the Senegalese government has opted for greater involvement of the national and international private sector. In addition, special attention has been paid to youth and human capital, to the social and solidarity economy, to digitalization and industrialization.
The Secretary of State of the Railway Network of Senegal, Mayacine Camara, closed the meeting, highlighting the Priority Action Plan 2019-2023, which includes projects of interest in the country in areas related to transport, electricity, agriculture, construction of universities, hospitals, water treatment, security, rehabilitation of railway lines and construction of highways, among others. Camara also opted for the modernization of Public Administration in the country.
