Since assuming the presidency of the Republic, His Excellency Bassirou Diomaye FAYE and his Prime Minister, Mr. Ousmane SONKO, have demonstrated a strong desire to strengthen the attractiveness and competitiveness of Senegal. Three concrete initiatives deserve to be highlighted, beyond the stated orientations.
First, the President of the Republic’s trips abroad, notably to California (USA), at the heart of technological innovation in Silicon Valley. Then, his trip to Southeast Asia, more precisely to China, where he visited the Huawei demonstration center during the China-Africa Forum (FOCAC) which he co-chaired with the President Xi Jinping. Finally, it is worth mentioning his visits to Saudi Arabia and Qatar, as well as his trip to Türkiye, which took place in parallel with his stay in Qatar.
During the 8th “ Future Investment Initiative » in Saudi Arabia, from October 29 to 31, 2024, the President of the Republic Bassirou Diomaye FAYE highlighted the strengths of Senegal in front of an audience of investors, while integrating these elements into the Senegalese vision for 2050. In Ankara, he continued this communication dynamic by aiming to intensify the partnership between Turkey and Senegal in key sectors for growth. In Qatar, the “ Doha Forum » served as a platform to highlight Senegal’s comparative advantages. Through an effective communications strategy, he articulated an attractive value proposition to attract investors.
All these trips share a common objective: promote Senegal as an investment destination through a comparative approach and the promotion of our unique territorial offer to carefully selected partners.
It’s about converting potential leads into customers. Therefore, it becomes imperative to activate all the levers of territorial attractiveness and competitiveness to achieve this objective.
Institutions like the APIX (Agency for the Promotion of Investments and Major Works) play a leading role in attracting targets by highlighting our distinctive assets. A range of questions arise and APIX, in collaboration with the Government, strives daily to answer them. Other organizations, such as l’ASPT (Senegalese Tourism Promotion Agency), GET IT CLOSER (Industrial Sites Promotion Agency), ASEPEX (Senegalese Export Promotion Agency) to name only these agencies, as well as consular chambers and economic offices abroad, contribute to this dynamic, although sometimes in competition, which harms collective efficiency. It is therefore crucial to bring together certain institutions around a common doctrine. France recently initiated a census of its attractiveness levers with a view to grouping them together, and Senegal could learn lessons from it.
The press release from the Council of Ministers yesterday (January 22, 2025) indicates a desire to reposition APIX in the segment of incentives and operational monitoring of the business environment through the establishment of a new attraction doctrine and investment loyalty, which is relevant given its experience and concrete results. However, it is essential that it acts in a collaborative manner, mobilizing all the stakeholders concerned in a dynamic of investment promotion. Local realities must also be taken into account to ensure the acceptability and ownership of projects by the territorial stakeholders who are the major beneficiaries of these investments. Countries that have successfully developed a territorial marketing approach have done so through horizontal and iterative coordination. Currently, Senegal does not have a clearly established and operational territorial brand or national territorial marketing strategy. It’s time to rethink our methodology. By joining forces and clarifying our discourse, we have the opportunity to make significant progress over the next 25 years, as illustrated by the successes of certain countries in Southeast Asia and the Middle East, as well as as African examples such as Morocco, Rwanda and Botswana.
In view of major events, such as the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, we can prepare to enter a new phase of development. Therefore, we propose the following recommendations to improve territorial marketing within public policies:
1. Organize, between now and the Invest in Senegal Forum scheduled for April 24 and 25, 2025, an investment day in each region, mobilizing local stakeholders;
-2. Dedicate the Dakar Forum to the consolidation of comparative advantages observed throughout the national territory;
3. Create a territorial brand that brings together all local and national structures promoting investment;
4. Support territorial centers in their territorial marketing strategies;
5. Establish an annual meeting to evaluate, communicate and adjust, if necessary, investment promotion approaches.
Daouda Thiandoum
Geomarketer, Developer, Urban Planner and Writer
Secretary General of the Urban Reflection Club (CRU)
