Egypt seeks to bypass Turkish presence in Senegal
In an attempt to counter Turkey’s expansion in West Africa, Egypt and the UAE seek to consolidate their ties with Senegal, the gateway to West Africa, by pushing forward new investments in the African country.
CAIRO — Egypt’s parliamentary African Affairs Committee announced Jan. 5 its intention to organize a visit to Senegal in a bid to discuss aspects of bilateral cooperation in agricultural and infrastructure projects and ways to set the wheel of investments in motion between the two countries.
May Mahmoud, a member of the committee, said in a press statement that parliament attaches great attention to “the historical and fraternal ties between the African brothers,” stressing that “Egypt is at the heart of Africa, and no one can influence its historical role in supporting African peoples.”
Over the past period, Egypt has sought to get close to Senegal by all possible means. On Dec. 2, 2020, Noha Khedr, Egypt’s Ambassador to Dakar, met with Senegalese Minister of Water and Sanitation Serigne Mbaye Thiam to discuss ways to enhance joint cooperation between the two countries and identify investment opportunities in Senegal for Egyptian businessmen in water and sanitation projects.
On Oct. 19, 2020, Abdullah Sau, head of the Senegalese Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture, received Khedr in the presence of the president of the Senegalese-Egyptian Business Council, Khaled Mikati, to discuss opportunities to increase trade exchange of several products between the two sides, notably textiles, construction equipment, carpets and home furniture. The two sides also discussed ways to boost Egyptian investments in the tourism and solar energy sectors.
