Dakar, 22 November 2021 (TDI): On Friday, the United States Secretary of State, Antony J. Blinken, arrived in Senegal for a two-day visit. The visit came as part of Blinken’s first official tour to Sub-Saharan Africa.
The US official met with Senegalese President, Macky Sall, and reaffirmed Washington’s partnership with Dakar. He discussed ways to enhance cooperation with Senegal, lauded the state’s leadership for aptly addressing various regional issues, and committed to assisting President Sall’s government in tackling climate change.
Moreover, Secretary Blinken and President Sall discussed shared global priorities, such as ending the Covid-19 pandemic, reigniting inclusive economic growth, strengthening democratic governance, and promoting respect for human rights in the African region.
Met today with Senegalese President Macky Sall in Dakar to discuss how we can increase global economic prosperity that is also inclusive. We also reaffirmed our commitment to addressing the climate crisis, & I thanked Senegal for its leadership on our shared priorities in Africa. pic.twitter.com/zKAig5a36Y
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) November 20, 2021
The US official later visited Dakar’s Pasteur Institute for an event aimed at increasing efforts to produce Covid-19 vaccines with US assistance next year. Speaking at the occasion, Blinken maintained that Washington is working with global partners to generate more funding for vaccine manufacturing in Senegal.
Additionally, he noted that the US has donated more than one million doses of Covid-19 vaccines to Senegal so far, and aspires to further collaborate with Dakar to end the pandemic.
While in Senegal, Secretary Blinken also met with the Republic’s Minister for Economy, Planning, and International Cooperation, Amadou Hott. The leaders agreed that inclusivity is a key to equitable economic growth in the world.
They also signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) worth more than $1 billion. The agreements between four US companies and Senegal came as part of Washington’s efforts to help Africa build infrastructure with sustainable deals.
Blinken started his official trip to Sub-Sharan Africa by visiting Kenya on November 17, 2021, and Nigeria on November 18. During the tour, he maintained that promoting democratic principles is the central element of US foreign policy.
Meanwhile, he also expressed concerns regarding the ongoing conflict in Ethiopia and Sudan’s recent military coup.
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