A Monegasque delegation has concluded a five-day working visit to Senegal, formalising more than two decades of bilateral ties with the signing of a framework cooperation agreement.
The delegation, led by Isabelle Berro-Amadei, Minister of External Relations and Cooperation, was in Senegal from 13 to 17 April. The signing of the accord with Amadou Chérif Diouf, Secretary of State for Senegalese Abroad, marked the diplomatic centrepiece of a visit that also encompassed field visits to Monaco-supported programmes across health, food security, education and entrepreneurship.
Formalising 20-year partnership
Senegal has been a partner of Monaco’s international cooperation since 2004, and the new framework agreement gives formal legal weight to that relationship at a moment when global development aid is under pressure. Berro-Amadei described the visit as her first ministerial trip to the country, and said she had stressed the importance of state-to-state dialogue and international cooperation “in the highly damaging context of multiple crises that affect us all”.
The delegation also met Ibrahima Sy, Senegal’s Minister of Health and Public Hygiene, reflecting Monaco’s longstanding focus on health programming in the country.
From the delta to Dakar
Field visits took the delegation to several regions. In the Saloum Delta — a UNESCO World Heritage site — Berro-Amadei met with women engaged in shellfish and oyster farming supported by Monaco. In Dakar, she held discussions with young entrepreneurs as well as representatives of the WHO, FAO and the World Food Programme, which is Monaco’s principal UN partner in the country.
A visit to the mother-and-child centre in Thiadiaye, southeast of Dakar, was among the most notable stops. The facility, developed within the town’s health centre, provides clinical, psychological, nutritional and social care alongside parenting support. The project is carried by the Fondation Mérieux, whose president, Alain Mérieux, accompanied the delegation.
Civil society funding
The visit also saw the signing of an agreement for INISA, a local initiatives fund targeting civil society organisations in Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and Senegal. Now in its second edition following a pilot in 2024–2025, the mechanism is designed to support projects put forward by associations and community groups across the Sahel region.
Monaco has maintained a Honorary Consul in Dakar since 2007 and a resident cooperation coordinator in the country. The Principality currently supports twelve partner countries through its international cooperation programme.
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Photo source: Government Communications Department