President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and first lady Emine Erdoğan were welcomed by Senegalese President Macky Sall and Senegalese first lady Marieme Faye Sall, in Dakar, late Wednesday.
The third stop of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s week-long West African tour was Senegal, where he discussed bilateral political and economic relations with Senegalese politicians and business people.
President Erdoğan was scheduled to attend a business forum and oversee the signing of various agreements between Turkey and Senegal, one of the most prosperous countries in the West Africa.
Upon his arrival in the country, Erdoğan was welcomed by Senegalese President Macky Sall and held tête-à-tête meetings besides inter-delegation meetings with ministers in attendance.
Over the last 10 years, President Erdoğan has paid more than 30 visits to 28 African countries – the most of any Turkish president. He also visited Senegal in 2013 and 2016.
Within the scope of Turkey’s Africa Initiative, the country’s trade volume with the continental countries increased by six-fold in the last 15 years, reaching $17.5 billion.
Turkey’s 15-year Africa Initiative Policy has increased economic cooperation and it has also taken political relations to the next level.
For example, the foreign trade volume between Turkey and Senegal in 2017 was $248.6 million, while the same figure stood at $91.8 million in 2008, according to Turkish Statistical Institute data.
