The international innovation and technology fair in Paris serves as a springboard for Senegal's digital ecosystem. On Wednesday, June 17, 2026, during the opening of VivaTech, the General Delegate for Rapid Entrepreneurship for Women and Youth (DER/FJ), Dr. Aissatou Mbodji, and the Managing Director of Wave Senegal, Mr. El Hadji Malick Gueye, officially signed a strategic partnership agreement. Concluded within the framework of the Lionstech program, this major alliance aims both to boost the local entrepreneurial ecosystem and to support the internationalization of Senegalese startups on the global stage.

The official signing of this agreement took place directly at the Senegalese booth at VivaTech, surrounded by strong institutional support. The ceremony was held in the presence of the Ambassador of Senegal to France, Mr. Baye Moctar Diop, representatives from the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation (MESRI), the French Embassy in Senegal, as well as the leaders of the fifteen local startups selected for this edition.

For this fifth participation of a national delegation in Europe's largest tech show, the public-private partnership is proving its worth. Support for internationalization, the central focus of the agreement, offers these 15 Senegalese organizations a prime platform to expand their networks, attract new investors, forge significant partnerships, and accelerate their growth beyond national borders.

The second part of this partnership will be deployed directly across the country. DER/FJ and the fintech company Wave Senegal plan to jointly invest in decentralizing support for innovation through an ambitious program to foster the ecosystem in several locations throughout the country.

This local momentum will translate into the organization of hackathons, bootcamps, and capacity-building workshops specifically designed for startups and high-potential project leaders. The goal is to continuously feed the Lionstech program, initiated by the DER/FJ, which now brings together a community of over 240 stakeholders (incubators, investors, support structures, and technical and financial partners) to foster the emergence of future national champions of the digital economy.

By partnering with DER/FJ, Wave Senegal reaffirms its role as a major player in the West African financial industry. The mobile payment unicorn is no longer content with simply providing transaction services, but is directly investing in social responsibility and the development of the local technology sector. Through this commitment to entrepreneurship and financial inclusion, the company intends to support the government in consolidating a more competitive, dynamic, and job-creating Senegalese digital ecosystem for young people.