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- Sonko signed industry, housing, and transport deals in China on June 22.
- He urged Chinese investment; 2023 FDI hit CFA665B.
- China-Senegal trade hit $1.5B in 2023.
On Sunday, June 22, 2025, Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko presided over a Sino-Senegalese economic forum in Hangzhou, China. The forum resulted in the signing of several agreements and memoranda of understanding, the Prime Minister’s Office announced in a Facebook post. These agreements span key sectors including industry, housing, and transportation.
The Prime Minister emphasized the crucial role of the private sector in achieving Senegal’s “national transformation agenda Senegal 2050.” He invited Chinese economic actors to increase their investments in Senegal. Mr. Sonko also encouraged Senegalese entrepreneurs to invest in strategic sectors such as energy, digital technology, new technologies, and industry.
These agreements were formalized during the head of the Senegalese government’s official visit to Hangzhou, the capital of China’s Zhejiang province. The visit’s primary aim is to inject new momentum into bilateral cooperation by prioritizing the private sector, which is a cornerstone of the Senegal 2050 Vision. This meeting is part of a broader trend of expanding Sino-African economic cooperation. China is actively growing its footprint across Africa by establishing numerous cooperation forums throughout the continent.
Bilateral relations between Senegal and China are marked by continuously evolving economic and diplomatic cooperation. The two countries maintain strong ties, strengthened by exchanges of official visits and economic agreements. These agreements cover diverse areas including agriculture, trade, industry, infrastructure construction, security, digital infrastructure, and the blue economy. Bakary Séga Bathily, Director General of the Agency for the Promotion of Investments and Major Works (APIX), stated that “statistics on foreign direct investment from China show that the volume of approved investments in 2023 alone amounted to more than 665 billion CFA francs, with 81 projects and 9,938 projected jobs. This reflects the dynamism and growing confidence of Chinese investors in Senegal over the past five years.”
Through its National Development Strategy (NDS) 2025-2029, Senegal is placing the private sector at the core of its economic transformation. In line with this, several reforms have been initiated to stimulate private investment. These reforms include simplifying administrative procedures, strengthening legal security, and fostering public-private partnerships.
As of April 2025, China was Senegal’s third-largest customer, after the Netherlands and Mali. It was also the West African country’s leading supplier, according to the National Agency for Statistics and Demography (ANSD). In 2023, the trade volume between the two nations amounted to approximately $1.5 billion, according to the International Trade Centre (ITC)’s trade statistics platform Trademap.
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