Frankfurt, on Friday, 1 May 2015, Labour Day. There is an unusual air of tranquility in the Main metropolis. Bankers and service providers flew home for the weekend. Only few trains have stopped at the Central Station, where normally busy people are in a rush. On such a day the situation is no different at the premises of the blood donor service: Little traffic means very few accidents, and little work in the emergency room. But directly opposite this location, a group of persistent Senegalese met with their Ambassador and discussed about "Cooperation" down to the smallest detail from 10:00 through 18:00 o'clock.
In the end we hear the statement: "I am ready to provide you with all official information from the Senegalese government", now that we informed Ambassador Ndiaye of the poor state of knowledge about Senegal's economy in the German language. The objective pursued by SenGermany is to provide the German economy with the greatest possible number of reliable data concerning the opportunities offered by Senegal.
"The one who first disposes of the correct information, has the best chances of beating the competition." This applies not only to the opportunities for the German economy in Senegal, but also to Senegalese entrepreneurs on the German market. We therefore asked Ambassador Ndiaye to also inform us in good time about the visit of business delegations coming from Senegal, so as to enable us to render advice, since the German tradeshow industry still attracts a lot of Senegalese entrepreneurs as visitors to Germany. The trade fairs Fruit Logistica, Anuga and Drupa are just a few examples of events, which have been well-known in Senegal for years now.
We furthermore discussed about the presence of Senegal at experts' conferences held with the German economy, and about a resumption of talks with the tourism industry. After opening the new international Airport Blaise Diagne (AIBB) in Senegal, at the latest, more German tourists should come to visit our country. The AIBB is designed for up to 3.5 million passengers per year, and also sustains its position as a hub for flight connections to the neighboring countries of Senegal. This title alone requires the Senegalese airport authority to maintain good contacts with German business people, so as to have them informed about this new hub in West Africa.
Last but not least, we informed Ambassador Ndiaye about the 3rd German-Senegalese Economic Summit, which will again take place in Germany on 4 November 2016. SenGermany is already working on the project and, as always, will regularly inform the German and the Senegalese economy about the state of preparation, simultaneously via the website www.sengermany.com.
Ibrahim Guèye
