Pedro Sánchez receives the President of Senegal and upgrades the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership

The agreements signed will deepen cooperation between the two countries in areas such as trade, fisheries, tourism and cultural issues such as language learning and the protection of underwater heritage.

Moncloa Palace, Madrid

The President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, together with the President of Senegal, Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar Faye (Pool Moncloa/Fernando Calvo)

The President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, has received the President of Senegal, Bassirou Diomaye Faye. The two leaders have agreed to upgrade the bilateral relationship between Spain and Senegal to a Strategic Partnership, through the adoption of a Joint Declaration which makes Senegal the first partner in sub-Saharan Africa with which such an agreement has been established.

President Sánchez expressed his commitment to strengthening economic ties between the two countries and to establishing a more ambitious framework for cooperation in development, trade and investment. They also discussed the successful results of the circular migration programme launched in 2024, which benefited 560 workers in the agricultural sector in 2025.

In view of this reality, and with the aim of strengthening bilateral relations, five memoranda of understanding have been signed on Spanish language teaching, underwater cultural heritage, fishing, tourism, and between ICEX and the Senegalese investment promotion agency.

Meeting between the President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, and the President of Senegal, Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar Faye| Pool Moncloa/Fernando Calvo

Memoranda of Understanding

Spain and Senegal have a historic, close and strategically valuable fishing relationship. In this context, the signing of a bilateral Memorandum of Understanding on fisheries will strengthen an already consolidated relationship with an agenda focused on sustainability, training, research and good governance. In addition, cooperation against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing is a major focus, providing Senegal with support in strengthening its control, inspection, traceability and enforcement capacities and contributing to a positive evolution of its fisheries governance system.

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Business, through ICEX, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Agency for the Promotion of Investments and Major Projects of Senegal (APIX) with the aim of strengthening collaboration in the exchange of information on investment policies, regulations and incentives, in the organisation of trade missions and joint events and in the improvement of the business climate through the exchange of know-how.

On education, another agreement has been signed to develop joint initiatives at different educational levels, as well as to promote the teaching of Spanish in Senegal and French in Spain. These initiatives will enable students and professionals from both countries to share experiences, broaden their language skills and strengthen mutual understanding between cultures. The agreement also reinforces the international projection of Spanish and contributes to multilingualism, consolidating Spain's educational and cultural presence in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, and the President of Senegal, Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar Faye, during the meeting between the delegations of Spain and Senegal| Pool Moncloa/Fernando Calvo

The Ministry of Culture has agreed the establishment of a collaboration framework that will favour the exchange of experiences, tools and methodologies in order to promote archaeological research, protect underwater cultural heritage assets from commercial exploitation and facilitate the conservation of these assets.

In tourism, it has been agreed to establish a framework for cooperation to promote the implementation of pilot projects, structural investments and joint tourism development initiatives between the two countries, including the promotion of specialised products such as river and sea cruises, agro-tourism and bird watching.

In addition to this, last Monday saw the signing of the new Partnership Framework for Sustainable Development, fully aligned with the National Transformation Agenda "Vision Senegal 2050". This framework will run until 2030 and provides for an initial financial forecast of 180 million euros, 40 million more than was disbursed in the previous period.

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• Aid from the Immediate Response, Reconstruction and Relaunching Plan

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Tags:

• Government of Spain
• Fishering
• Culture
• Economy
• Education
• Tourism