EESC president Luca Jahier meets Senegal President Macky Sall

Press release
A delegation of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), composed of President Luca Jahier, Jaroslaw Mulewicz (Chair of EESC ACP-EU Follow-up Committee) and member Maria Nikolopoulou, is visiting Senegal this week (13-16 January) to bring the EESC support to local civil society and to discuss the EU strategy in Africa.

The European Union gives increasing importance to its relations with Africa as a strategic partner, and so does the EESC. President Jahier first visited the continent, Ethiopia, in May last year. For his second mission to Africa, Luca Jahier chose Senegal as it's a dynamic West-African country that enjoys political stability, a well-functioning democratic system and an active civil society.

"Senegal is one of the most engaged African countries in the 2030 Agenda having its development priorities spelled out in the 'Plan Senegal Emergent' and in the 2018-2023 Joint Strategy Senegal-EU. Important progress is made in the area of renewable energies and civil society has a crucial role to play in helping reach the sustainable development goals as well as working towards a new pact on migration," President Jahier said.

During the visit, President Jahier met with S.E.M Macky Sall. "President Sall's strong push towards sustainable development, fully aligned with the African Union's strategic 2063 agenda for an African Renaissance, must be praised," Jahier said. "Africa has great potential and I am pleased that the European Union has finally placed lasting partnerships with Africa at the heart of its external action," he added.

"The future of Africa is the future of Europe," Jahier insisted, making reference to his presidency programme for a European Renaissance to give a new impetus to the EU project, which he called rEUnaissance.

Much of the discussion focused on President Sall's plan for structural transformation of the economy to increase productivity and fight poverty, even beyond Senegal. Indeed, President Sall currently chairs the Heads of State and Government Orientation Committee (HSGOC) of the New Partnership for Africa's Development. As such, he played an active role in regional efforts to find solutions to the crises in Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Mali and Burkina Faso.

During the visit, the delegation met with several government ministers: Karim Sall (Minister of Environment and sustainable development), Amadou Ba (Foreign affairs Minister), Amadou Hott (Minister of Economy, Planning and Cooperation), Aminata Toure, former Senegal PM and now president of the Conseil economique, social et environmental (CESE), but will also meet with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and a number of civil society organisations.

Press contact Daniela Vincenti
EESC President Spokesperson
Phone 
 +32 2 546 82 62
Mobile +32 497 41 20 95

 

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EESC president Luca Jahier meets Senegal President Macky Sall