Belt and Road Touches Senegal

senegal， like most other west African countries， is not an official partner of the Belt and Road initiative. But according to senegalese Ambassador to china Abdoulaye Fall， his country can still benefit from and contribute to the initiative that seeks to develop cooperation between all countries around the world. he sees this cooperation being not only political， but also commercial， financial， cultural and infrastructurebased. the following is an edited excerpt of his thoughts.

Belt and Road and Agenda 2063 At the Johannesburg Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation held in South Africa in December 2015， Chinese President Xi Jinping unveiled an ambitious program built around 10 main themes， including industrialization， agricultural modernization， infrastructure， finance， and people-to-people and cultural exchanges. Bearing these in mind， there are many common development factors with the Belt and Road Initiative. And most of these themes are also found in the African Unions Agenda 2063.

The trajectories of China and Africa run relatively parallel in three main stages. The first is based on liberation. Like China， Africa has finally liberated itself， whether from colonialization or apartheid. Then followed a phase of integration， in which China succeeded in bringing together 56 ethnic groups. If Africa has achieved this on a regional scale， it must now aim to do this at the continental level through the unification process designed by the African Union. The last stage is the development level that China is achieving with success， maintaining a very strong strategic partnership with Africa. This is what we must aim for and a path where China intends to accompany the continent through a very strong strategic partnership.

Senegal has a strategic plan for its economic and social development. The Emerging Senegal Plan is a 20-year plan issued in 2014， aimed at restructuring the economy in an inclusive and sustainable way with good governance. The minimum growth rate target is 7 percent by 2018， to be maintained for at least 10 years. When the plan was initiated， the growth rate was around 4.5 percent， but in the last two years we managed 6.4 and 6.5 percent respectively， implying we are on the right track to achieve our objective.

Now， Africas priority after modernizing and boosting agriculture for food security is industrialization. Without industrialization a country cannot be developed and Chinese industries delocalizing in Africa can help with this. It is mutually beneficial because China has to delocalize. Labor in China is becoming more expensive. So a product produced in China will no longer be as competitive as it used to be.

Chinese enterprises extended their delocalization in Ethiopia. Ethiopia stands as a success story and Senegal is now on the radar. Senegal is developing its own industrial park. The first stage is already completed. As the Chinese proverb goes， “you have to build a nest to attract the phoenix.”

Beneficial to Africa Seen from a broad perspective， it might be due to a lack of communication that so few West African countries have formally joined the Belt and Road Initiative. Its possible that most of them look at the initiatives map and think they are not involved because the road begins in China and goes to Eastern Europe and to the eastern coast of Africa， targeting only a few countries. So West African countries， which face the Atlantic Ocean， might think they are not involved.

However， as has been said， nobody is or should be excluded from this tool to develop inclusiveness and better anchor globalization. So any country can be part of the initiative. Most African countries should participate since they could benefit a great deal. The Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation held in mid-May proved to be an additional opportunity to communicate better on this initiative and has attract more African nations.

The initiative wants to develop cooperation between world countries， not only politically but also commercially， financially， culturally and through infrastructure development. By placing the continent at the forefront of globalization， the initiative is beneficial for Africa in general， and for Senegal in particular.

Senegals Contribution But while being beneficial to Senegal， the country also has much it can contribute to the initiative. Senegal， located at the westernmost tip of Africa， is open and very close to international markets - mostly the West African， West European and the North and South American markets. So in terms of globalization， Senegal can contribute to better anchor this initiative.

If production capacity is developed in Senegal and if large-scale investors arrive， they generate foreign direct investment that is instrumental to the development process. New jobs can be created because of this development and the level of expertise can be upgraded， particularly concerning the youth.

To better develop the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road， its important to develop ports because ports help to export goods from manufacturers to international markets. Senegal is at the crossroads of maritime routes. A container leaving China needs about two months to get to the United States， but if the production is done in Senegal， it just needs one week. This is an advantage of delocalizing and why Senegal is supporting this initiative.

Cultural collaboration Senegals strategic location means it is also well placed to contribute to the initiative in terms of culture. The countrys constitution requires com- mitment to the core cultural values of the nation， which cements the national unity. The first President， Leopold Sedar Senghor， was a poet and intellectual for whom culture formed the beginning and end of any developmental process. In 1966， he convened the first World Festival of Negro Arts in Dakar and developed visual arts， painting， sculpture， architecture and tapestry in the country.

Since then many annual cultural events are held around the themes of music， dance， paintings， fashion and films.

The black world exists not only in Africa but also in the diaspora brought to their new countries during slavery. The triangular relation between Africa， Europe and the Americas should now be seen in a different light， as a triangle partnership between the new generations of Africa， new leaders of the Americas and new leaders of Europe committed to transform the former triangular trade into a triangular partnership through new ideas and practices. The Museum of Black Civilizations created in Dakar， thanks to the cooperation with China， will help in better knowing the history and better preparing the new path.

Development cannot just be seen in terms of economic growth. If this growth does not benefit all or neglects the sustainable aspect， it is useless. And this is where the human dimension comes in. The ultimate goal is to improve the living standards of the people.

The collaboration manifests itself in a number of ways. For example， China welcomes a number of Senegalese students and civil servants of various areas each year. There are also many artistic and cultural exchanges， and Senegalese talent goes to China annually.

China has opened a Cultural Center and a Confucius Institute in Senegal. There is a lot of exchange between the Chinese who come to Senegal and the Senegalese who come to China. This all helps to cement institutional relations， contribute to a better understanding between people and strengthen mutual trust.