As part of the 19th edition of the Africa Food Systems Forum, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) signed a partnership agreement with Senegal, Mali, and Nigeria on Tuesday, September 2, in Diamniadio. This agreement aims to establish a solid framework for investment in agriculture, innovation, and food systems, building bridges between the two regions.

Pathé Sène, CEO of the African Food Systems Forum, said this represents a commitment to significant structural investments to fund innovative ideas such as water highways for investment.

Mr. Sène indicated that the choice of certain countries in the sub-region (Senegal, Mali and Nigeria) is explained by their potential. "These countries have significant water resources, arable land and young creative people."

The Director General of the African Food Systems Forum also highlighted the comparative advantage in terms of investment. "On the logistics front, with the presence of Dubai Port World across Africa, the United Arab Emirates has a comparative advantage, particularly in terms of technology. Based on this, they want to create this fruitful partnership between the two regions," he explained.

Vente Lootah, President of the UAE Food Cluster, reiterated the importance of the collaboration, which lies in the desire to protect against external shocks, such as the Covid-19 crisis, which highlighted their food vulnerabilities.

“We see Africa as a partner, not just a market. By investing here, we are helping to build sustainable, affordable and resilient food systems, and that is a win-win for all of us,” he said.

Senegalese Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty, and Livestock, Mabouba Diagne, emphasizes that this partnership with the United Arab Emirates will enable ambitious projects to emerge. "We can, for example, build a 100-km canal on the Senegal River. This will allow us to develop 28,000 hectares of arable land and create 17,000 jobs," he estimates.