President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan visited Senegal on Monday, as the second stop of his three-nation four-day Africa diplomacy tour.
Erdoğan departed Sunday for a four-day tour to three African countries upon the invitation of his counterparts. The first stop was the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Erdoğan's visit to Guinea-Bissau will mark the first presidential-level official visit from Turkey to the West African country.
Senegal, which gained independence from France in 1960, stands out in West Africa owing to its stability and institutionalized democracy.
Its capital, Dakar, hosts regional offices of numerous international organizations, including the United Nations, International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF, thanks to its excellent geographical location and security.
Muslims comprise 96% of its 16-million population. A vast majority are devout followers of Sufi orders such as the Muridiyya, Qadiriyya and Tijaniyyah. This has prevented extremist elements to influence the country's Muslim population.
Wolof, Fulani and Serer are the biggest ethnic groups in the country.
The country's official language is French, although Wolof and Fulani, as well as many other Indigenous languages, are spoken.
Economy
Among the Francophone African countries, Senegal occupies second place after the Ivory Coast in terms of industrial development. The country has recorded an annual 6% growth since 2014.
According to data by the World Bank and the African Development Bank, the country's gross domestic product (GDP) is nearly $25 billion and national income per capita is around $1,500.
In line with the government's Emerging Senegal Plan that was adopted in 2014, transportation, energy, construction, infrastructure projects and privatization presented the most contribution to economic growth.
Only around 17% of its land is arable. Despite this, 70% of the population is employed in the agricultural sector.
While Senegal is one of the world's prominent phosphate producers, it also has other mineral resources including gold, titanium, marble, zirconium and limestone.
Of the 30 African countries, Senegal is the only country where over half of the population has access to electricity.
According to the World Bank, over 70% of the population presently has access to electricity.
Bilateral relations
Only two years after the country's independence, Turkey opened its embassy in Dakar, one of the country's earliest embassies in Africa.
Senegal opened its embassy in the Turkish capital Ankara in August 2006, which gave a new impetus to bilateral relations.
Erdoğan is currently on his fifth visit to the country.
According to the Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEIK), Turkey's exports to Senegal were nearly $530 million and imports were at around $11 million.
Furthermore, Turkish companies undertook 33 projects in the country, valued at $1.2 billion.
Apart from the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA), many humanitarian relief organizations operate in the country.
The Yunus Emre Institute (YEE) has been organizing Turkish language courses for five years and the Maarif Foundation operates four schools across the country.
The visit will focus on all aspects of bilateral relations and opportunities for improving cooperation between Turkey and the three countries in all fields.
During his visit to Senegal’s capital Dakar, Erdoğan will attend the opening ceremony of the Dakar Olympic Stadium built by a Turkish company. He will also open the new Turkish Embassy building in the capital.
Turkey is seeking to strengthen its presence in Africa. Since 2003, the volume of its trade with the continent has increased from $2 billion to at least $25 billion.
Erdoğan has visited Africa nearly 40 times since 2005, as prime minister and president, since then, Turkey has opened some 40 embassies on the continent.
Turkey's influence also covers the realm of defense with Ankara inaugurating its first African military base in 2017 in Somalia.