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Senegal’s State President Macky Sall before the German Private Industry on 1 April 2014

A warm welcome, a friendly atmosphere, a clear presentation and exact figures.

80 persons took part in the Economic Conference, which was organized by the Afrika-Verein (foreign trade association for German enterprises and institutions with economic interests in African states) in the KfW (the reconstruction and credit institution and a German government-owned development Bank) premises in Berlin on 1 April 2014 on the occasion of the visit paid by Senegal's Head of State Macky Sall.

To be frank, the Senegalese government appeared with a clear message before the German private industry, communicated first by State President Macky Sall and thereafter by Mr. Mountaga Sy, Director-General of APIX (agency for the promotion of investments and large-scale projects). State President Macky Sall discussed topics like combating corruption, ending the unjustified benefits and dealing with the general economic framework rapidly developing in Africa; last but not least reference was made to securing foreign investments. "In the year 2000 there were 30 million users of mobile phones in Africa, and in the year 2014 600 million SIM cards were licensed, of which 17 million in Senegal with its 13 million inhabitants", said State President Sall. He added: "Of the 800 million Africans 300 million people form a middle class enjoying rapid growth". As far as Senegal is specifically concerned, the Director-General of APIX has stated that his country is the gateway for 300 million West-African consumers, and in his presentation he delivered utmost exact figures concerning the new projects offered on the Senegalese market: a 750 km long railway line between Senegal and its neighboring country Mali, two new ports, an entirely new city close to the new international airport operated by the Frankfurt enterprise FRAPORT, and numerous other projects which are listed in the box at the end of the report or can be downloaded as a link. But that is not the whole story, since the Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance Amadou Ba declared that in Senegal those entrepreneurs who export 80% of their production, pay only 15% of taxes.

However, the Senegalese government will have to make enormous efforts in order to successfully perform its projects, as it intends to annually create 150.000 jobs and to build 125.000 social homes, precisely in a country where despite subsidies one kWh of electricity costs 20 Eurocent, which is a price still regarded as too high by the Energy Minister Maïmouna Ndoye Seck. Moreover the Senegalese government must take resolute steps in order to prove to foreign investors that the era of unjustified benefits is definitely over, and that the investors should not look for a way to the State President, but rather to APIX. Otherwise "it would be a waste of time", said State President Macky Sall. 

Apart from critiques about the concentration of numerous projects on the region of the capital Dakar, the reaction of the participants was rather positive. Mr. Sidy G. Diop, a Senegalese investor, praised the work of APIX, but suggested that the Senegalese government should learn from the German SMEs, which form the backbone of the German industry. State President Macky Sall replied that he had asked the Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel to help Senegal with the introduction of the Dual System in vocational training. He added that he is proud of the Senegalese people who were trained at German universities, as they would be able to accompany the German investors on their way to Senegal. He dedicated his final word to the integration capacity of the German society, having elected two members of parliament of Senegalese origin to the new German Bundestag: Charles Huber and Dr. Karamba Diaby, who is his former fellow student. 

Ibrahim Guèye