A ministerial delegation from Senegal led by Amadou Ba, Minister of Economy, Finance and Planning, visited the African Development Bank (AfDB) headquarters in Abidjan on Tuesday, May 3, 2016 to strengthen cooperation with the pan-African institution.
In his welcome address, AfDB President Akinwumi Adesina described the cooperation between the Bank and Senegal as exemplary before going on to say that AfDB will support Senegal's development in years to come through an integrated agri-business development-centered approach; the promotion of agricultural entrepreneurship and employment; improvement of the quality of life in rural areas; improved access to water and electricity; and the promotion of regional integration.
The Senegalese Minister, for his part, extolled the Bank's flexibility, which had made it possible to take account of Senegal's new priorities in the mid-term review of its Country Strategy Paper (CSP) 2011-2015, confirming that AfDB is a strategic partner for implementation of the Emerging Senegal Plan (ESP).
AfDB's active portfolio in Senegal includes 23 operations totalling US $727.46 million. Since October 1972, when AfDB started working in Senegal, it has approved approximately 94 operations with a total value of nearly US $1.97 billion, or more than 1,200 billion CFA francs.
Ba, who represents Senegal on the AfDB Board of Governors, was accompanied by Senegal's Ministers of Infrastructure; Transport; Water and Sanitation; Youth, Employment and Citizenship; and the Secretary of State for the railway network.