Bilateral cooperation between Senegal and the United kingdom
The relationship between Senegal and the United Kingdom is longstanding, dating back to the aftermath of our country’s independence. It is fundamentally based on shared values of democracy, respect for human rights and freedoms, the promotion of world peace, good governance, and international solidarity.
Bilateral cooperation between the two countries is manifested, in organisational terms, by the existence of a Senegalese Embassy in London since 1962, and a British diplomatic mission in Dakar. In legal, practical, and sectoral terms, it is marked by a series of agreements and initiatives that have allowed both parties to achieve significant gains, which the Senegalese Embassy in London strives to consolidate and diversify.
President Macky SALL’s participation in the G8 Summit held in London in June 2013, and the working visit to Dakar by the Honourable Jeremy HUNT, British Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary, in April 2019, gave new impetus to cooperation between Senegal and the United Kingdom. Mr. HUNT’s working visit was marked by the signing of two (2) Cooperation Agreements in the fields of Defence and Education and Training, the launch of the “English Connects” programme in partnership with the Virtual University of Senegal, and the provision of logistical resources to the Senegalese Navy.
Currently, bilateral cooperation between the two countries is governed by the following 7 Agreements:
* An Air Transport Cooperation Agreement signed in London on 20 May 1974 and ratified by Senegal on 3 April 1975;
* An Agreement on the Promotion and Protection of Investments signed on 7 May 1980 and ratified by Senegal on 23 July 1982;
* A Technical Cooperation Agreement signed in 1986;
* A Memorandum of Understanding on Investment and Trade signed between the two Governments on 7 May 2012;
* A Convention for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income and capital gains, signed on 26 February 2015;
* A Memorandum of Understanding between the British Council and the Ministry of Higher Education on strengthening English language learning through the “English Connects” programme, signed in April 2019;
* A Memorandum of Understanding on strengthening bilateral defence cooperation, signed in April 2019.
This legal framework has enabled the two countries to lay the foundations for cooperation across several sectors.