His Excellency President Bassirou Diomaye Faye today officially opened the Forum on the Sustainable Development of Maritime Transport and Logistics in the Blue Economy.
With 750 kilometres of coastline, an extensive river network, and a maritime economy that still accounts for only a small share of the nation's wealth, Senegal possesses immense untapped potential. This is not a balance sheet—it is a measure of the opportunities that remain to be fully harnessed.
The Head of State outlined an ambitious roadmap, centred on the deep-water port of Ndayane, designed to accommodate the world's largest container ships; the modernization of the country's fishing ports, reaffirming that no maritime policy can succeed without supporting artisanal fisheries; the development of logistics corridors to better connect the national territory and improve access for inland and island communities; and the establishment of a National School of Maritime Professions, with the long-term ambition of transforming it into a dedicated maritime university.
Read the full speech by the President of the Republic at the Forum on the Sustainable Development of Maritime Transport and Logistics in the Blue Economy:
Dakar, 13 July 2026 – Only the spoken word shall prevail
Mr Prime Minister,
Madame the Minister of Fisheries and Maritime Economy,
Ladies and Gentlemen, Ministers,
Ladies and Gentlemen, representatives of international organisations,
Ladies and Gentlemen, members of the Diplomatic Corps,
Ladies and Gentlemen, technical and financial partners,
Mr Director General of the National Agency for Maritime Affairs,
Ladies and Gentlemen, actors of the maritime, port and logistics sectors,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
In the life of Nations, there are moments when the convergence of global challenges demands lucidity, vision and a heightened sense of collective responsibility. The time we are living in is, undoubtedly, one of those moments.
The profound transformations shaping our world, the climate challenges, the imperatives of economic sovereignty and the demands of sustainability call upon us, more than ever, to rethink our development models with ambition, coherence and determination.
It is in this spirit that I am presiding today over the opening of the International Forum on the Sustainable Development of Maritime Transport and Logistics in the Blue Economy, with a keen awareness of the responsibilities imposed by the strategic challenges of our time.
I would like, as a prelude to my remarks, to extend a very special tribute to the initiative of the Ministry of Fisheries and Maritime Economy, whose relevance fully aligns with the requirements of transformation, sovereignty and sustainability of our era.
I congratulate Madame Minister Amy Mara, whose commitment and diligence since taking office at the head of this strategic department have successfully established this forum among the major events for reflection and action on the blue economy.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Last May, on the sidelines of the Africa-France Summit in Nairobi, I expressed a conviction during my address on the blue economy that remains unchanged: water is not a border. It is a memory, a resource, a pathway, and sometimes a promise.
Jacques-Yves Cousteau once said: “The sea, once it has cast its spell, holds you in its net of wonders forever.” The sea is not merely an economic space; it is a living heritage, a shared legacy, a collective responsibility.
The blue economy is emerging today as a strategic response to the major challenges of our time. It represents a lever for growth, an instrument of sovereignty, a factor of stability and a concrete answer to the challenges of the 21st century.
For Senegal, this ambition has a unique significance. As a nation open to the Atlantic, with nearly 750 kilometres of coastline and a vast river and lake network, our country possesses assets that make the blue economy a powerful driver of structural transformation, job creation, innovation, competitiveness and shared prosperity.
For example, port activities in Dakar alone generated approximately 700 billion CFA francs between 2022 and 2024 nearly 4% of our GDP and supported 170,000 jobs. These figures convey a simple truth: the sea is already a real economic engine for us. Our duty is to multiply its impact.
At a time when the vast majority of global trade travels by sea, maritime transport and logistics activities are key pillars of competitiveness. However, these exchanges are undergoing profound changes driven by digitalisation, the energy transition, decarbonisation and an increasing demand for resilience. In this context, port infrastructure, logistics corridors and maritime services are becoming decisive levers for stronger economic integration and improved competitiveness.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have provided Senegal with a new public policy framework through the Senegal 2050 National Transformation Agenda.
This forward-looking vision aims to build a sovereign, just, prosperous nation resolutely turned towards the future.
In this trajectory, the sustainable development of our resources for the blue economy occupies a central place, provided that three major requirements are met: • Environmental protection;
• Economic progress;
• Equitable sharing of wealth.
This ambition is reflected in the following priorities: • Modernisation of port infrastructure;
• Development of logistics corridors;
• Promotion of sustainable maritime transport;
• Securing of our maritime spaces;
• Training of our youth in maritime professions;
• Preservation of marine and coastal ecosystems.
Our course is clear: to make Senegal a leading African platform for maritime, river-maritime transport and logistics.
Senegal no longer wishes to be merely a transit point on the Atlantic coast of West Africa. It now intends to fully master this space — no longer to endure it as a border, but to assert and integrate it as a territory in its own right.
This ambition is driven by a simple conviction: in today’s world, sovereignty is no longer measured solely by control of land, but also by a State’s ability to secure, develop and effectively govern its maritime spaces.
Our maritime sovereignty is not negotiable; it is built through investment, innovation and vision.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
We are already implementing this vision through major projects. The deep-water port of Ndayane will elevate our country to the rank of ports capable of accommodating the world’s largest container ships. The Jaambar project will modernise and expand the Autonomous Port of Dakar to streamline goods traffic. The mineral and bulk port of Bargny-Sendou will support the growth of our extractive industry. And the modernisation of our fishing ports both major and secondary established as autonomous entities, will improve working conditions for our fishermen while attracting private investment.
But modernising our coastlines is not enough; we must irrigate the entire territory. These infrastructures will open logistics corridors serving our mining, agricultural and industrial sectors, and will bring the Nation closer to its most landlocked populations as well as its island communities.
Our sea does not only serve to transport goods; it is also a tourism promise. Our deep-water ports will welcome cruise ships as well as container vessels, and our country land of sun, wind, rivers, lakes and bolongs intends to develop pleasure boating, sailing, rowing and canoe-kayaking, alongside a ship repair and construction industry capable of sustainably supporting all our maritime activities.
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Africa is a maritime continent. With more than 30,000 kilometres of coastline and around one hundred strategic ports, it holds exceptional potential that remains largely untapped. More than 200 million Africans depend on fishery resources, ten million of whom derive their income from them. However, this economy faces threats such as marine pollution, coastal erosion, overexploitation, climate disruption, illegal fishing, piracy and trafficking, which require us to act responsibly.
As Antoine de Saint-Exupéry wrote, “As for the future, it is not a matter of predicting it, but of making it possible.” That is our duty: to make possible a future of security, sustainability and shared prosperity.
Without mastery of our maritime spaces, there can be no real sovereignty. That is why Senegal reaffirms its commitment to an integrated, responsible and effective maritime governance. In this regard, the ratification of the Lomé Charter remains a major challenge for strengthening the African architecture of maritime security and governance.
Ladies and Gentlemen, dear guests,
The blue economy is also a response to the aspirations of our youth.
It opens immense prospects in sustainable fishing, aquaculture, maritime transport, coastal tourism, marine biotechnologies, renewable energies and logistics innovation.
Training our young people in the many maritime professions, strengthening their skills and promoting blue entrepreneurship are strategic imperatives that I have assigned to my Government.
This is why we are advancing the project of a major school for blue economy professions, which will eventually become a university entirely dedicated to the blue economy, where future generations will train in navigation, port management, ship repair and construction, sustainable fishing, marine aquaculture and tomorrow’s engineering.
And because competitiveness now depends as much on data as on steel, we will make the digitalisation of our logistics chains a lever for reliability, traceability and cost reduction.
We must also ensure better inclusion of women across the entire value chains of the blue economy.
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
The time for mere observations is over. The time for action has come.
We must invest more, modernise our infrastructure, accelerate digital transformation, promote green corridors and build partnerships based on innovation, technology transfer and co-investment.
Such ambition requires financing on the same scale. We intend to respond with innovative instruments starting with blue bonds capable of mobilising both national savings and private investment. But none of these financings would make sense if it turned against the heritage it claims to enhance: rigorous respect for the environment is not an additional constraint on our strategy; it is its primary condition. Senegal places the preservation of its marine, coastal and river ecosystems at the very heart of its policies.
In this dynamic, Senegal is ready. Ready to act. Ready to cooperate. Ready to build with its partners a competitive, sustainable and inclusive blue economy.
An adage inspired by the wisdom of Senegalese fishermen, often associated with Lébou tradition, says that “the sea never forgets those who respect it.”
Let us respect it. Let us preserve it. Let us develop it with intelligence, responsibility and ambition.
Let us make our seas and oceans not only spaces of peace and security, but also engines of prosperity, sovereignty and a future for our peoples.
With these words, I officially declare open the International Forum on the Sustainable Development of Maritime Transport and Logistics in the Blue Economy.
Thank you for your attention.