The Senegal-Türkiye Business Forum and the Senegal Business Trip organized under the leadership of the Independent Industrialists and Businessmen Association (MÜSİAD) were held between 23 - 26 February 2021.

The Senegal Business Forum, organized under the leadership of the Independent Industrialists and Businessmen Association (MÜSİAD) on Tuesday, 23 February 2021, was attended by 18 Turkish and 40 Senegalese businesspeople, including Türkiye's Ambassador to Dakar Ahmet Kavas, MÜSİAD Senegal Representative Faruk Baştürk, MÜSİAD Member of the Board of Directors and Chairman of the Diplomatic Relations Committee Mehmet Zeki Güvercin and Chairman of the MÜSİAD Export Development Trade Matching Committee Davut Altunbaş.

Evaluating the Senegal – Türkiye Business Forum and the Senegal Business Trip that took place throughout the week, MÜSİAD Member of the Board of Directors and Chairman of the Diplomatic Relations Committee Mehmet Zeki Güvercin said, “ Africa is a continent where our relations have been taking place intensively in terms of Türkiye for the last 15 years, over an area of approximately 31 million square metres, with a community of close to 1 billion people corresponding to % 15 of the world population and where approximately 2,000 different languages are spoken. When it is taken into account that % 50 of the population of Africa consists of young people under the age of 19 – 20, how important it is and what a great potential it has can be seen more clearly. In Senegal, on the other hand, % 42 of the population consists of young people under the age of 15. Although the country became Muslim in the 11th century and was also freed from the colonial rule of France in the second half of the 19th century, the influence of France in the country is closely observed.”

Stating that Senegal is one of the most important countries of the African continent, Güvercin continued his remarks as follows:

“The fact that no coup has ever taken place in Senegal since its foundation is proof that it is a stable and steady country. Senegal holds important opportunities for Turkish businesspeople. First of all, it has exports of USD 4.1 billion and imports of approximately USD 8 billion. Senegal, which is a neighbour of Mauritania, Mali, Gambia and Guinea, as a country of 190 thousand square kilometres, directly addresses a basin with a total population of 38 million. While the African continent has coastlines on the Mediterranean, the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean, Senegal also has a coast on the Atlantic Ocean; what is more, exactly 531 kilometres of it. This also shows that there is a very important potential in the country, especially in the field of fishing. On the business trip we made here as MÜSİAD, we held important B2B meetings so that Senegal may develop both its exports and its imports with Türkiye. When the demands of the businessmen who came to the Senegal Business Forum during the Covid process are taken into account, we once again determined that the countries from which Senegal imports should be examined well. Senegal imports around USD 500 million from Belgium. A similar figure is in question for the Netherlands as well. Its exports to Switzerland and Mali are very high; over half a billion dollars.

The fact that there is also the possibility of establishing a % 100 Turkish capital company in Senegal provides a very important advantage. The visits of our esteemed President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to Senegal, the efforts displayed by our MÜSİAD President Abdurrahman Kaan so that the business world of our country may be even more active in the world economy that contracted because of the pandemic in the 2020 - 2021 period, and the contacts made by the businesspeople who came on the Senegal Business Trip will begin to bear their fruits in the 2nd quarter of this year”.

The Target Is to Achieve USD 1 Billion of Exports to Senegal

Stating that the Senegal Business Trip was an extremely important step in terms of the development of mutual trade between Türkiye and Senegal, MÜSİAD Export Development and Trade Matching Committee Chairman Davut Altunbaş emphasized the importance of the contacts made during the trip with the following words:

“As the MÜSİAD Export Development and Trade Matching Committee, we held more than 100 B2B meetings. While new partnerships were developed with the Senegal Business Trip program, an MoU protocol was signed between the leading business organizations of Senegal and MÜSİAD. Within the scope of our trip, important steps were taken with the target of reaching a trade volume of USD 1 billion with the businesspeople MÜSİAD brought from Türkiye and the businesspeople of the counterpart country.”

The MÜSİAD delegation, which made a series of visits to the Türkiye Dakar Embassy, the Senegal Maarif Schools, the Senegalese Ministry of Trade, the Senegalese Ministry of Industry and the Senegal Chamber of Commerce within the scope of the trip, exchanged ideas on the development of the commercial relations of the two countries, while also carrying out sectoral studies through marketplace visits.