The Gateway to Africa

“We have always wanted to learn from Malaysia’s progress. Even when I was in the administration school, we learned about Mahathir’s Vision 2020, for example, studying how Malaysia had progressed from the 1980s to this day.”
“There can be no peace without understanding”. A Senegalese proverb echoed by the Griot, storytellers and troubadour-historian on the western coastline of the ancient continent. A spirit of the Wolof people that was clearly present in The Embassy of the Republic of Senegal located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It may be the only branch in Southeast Asia but its ambition stretches all across the region.
His Excellency Abdoulaye Barro, the Ambassador of Senegal, took the time off from his busy schedule and sat down with International Business Review to give us an insight into his plans of greater diplomatic ties between his nation and our region.

The 1086 km long Senegal River in West Africa is also known as “River of Gold” by the Trans-Saharan traders during the gold-producing days of the Ghana and Mali Empire.
Nations of Islamic Values
According to the Ambassador, he admires how Malaysia has managed to build a successful framework to cater to its majority Muslim demographics and hopes that Senegal learn and adopt its approach in establishing relevant Islamic-based policies such as Shariah-compliant laws, Islamic institutions, Islamic finance services which include “wakaf” and “zakat” matters; Islamic tertiary education and management of Hajj purposes as operated by Tabung Haji, among others.
“We want to understand how Malaysia succeeded in achieving all of these things and want to strengthen the relationship between our two countries for this purpose. I hope Malaysian education institutions will consider visiting Senegal and establish their franchise there. I think engineering courses will be a great offer to help spur Senegal’s development, infrastructure-wise. Also, Islamic Studies will appeal greatly to the Senegal student market. I want to see how we can use all these tools to develop the ecosystem of Senegal.”

The Baobab tree is the “Pride of the Neighbourhood” and have survived centuries as the essential cultural symbol of Senegal due to the local legend of building an entire village under its shade because the tree provides everything the people need.
The Lion in the shade of the African Baobab Tree
Senegal has always been an important node on the trans-Saharan caravan routes going all the way back to ancient Ghana and
Djolof kingdoms with its Atlantic Ocean coastline making it the ideal conquest for the Europeans colonials, specifically the French. Its official currency is the CFA franc and pegged to the euro but according to the ambassador, ever since late 1990’s, there is a gradual effort from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to introduce ‘Eco’ as a common currency for the sub-region.
Traditionally, the Senegalese economy has revolved around agriculture but the government has worked to diversify it by expanding its export of commodities and mineral resources such as gold, petroleum and natural gas. Beginning of the 21st century, they have also been promoting tourism to the country which has become a major source of foreign exchange.
“The Senegalese government can facilitate your transition within the Economic Special Zones where you can settle down and attract more investors. When you come to set up your factories, you will be given many advantages such as land matters, facilities, and waiver of fees to accommodate your relocation there,” he added.

The largest ethnic group in Senegal are the predominantly Muslim Wolof people who have absorb a concoction of cultures throughout its history.
The Past, The Future,
The Western Front
When asked about why Senegal would be ideal as a tourist destination, Ambassador Abdoulaye highlighted the history of the Atlantic Slave Trade which took place between the 1500s and the 19th century period. He recounted how the African Diaspora can trace its origins to the former slave warehouse on Gorée Island, just south of Cape Verde Peninsula.
This barren volcanic rock on the Dakar Harbour is a constant reminder of its past and how it has overcome its pain and became a source of inspiration and a monument of perseverance attracting students of history and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1978.
Of course, Senegal is also blessed with a diverse environmental heritage of flora and faunas due to its location at the ecological boundary where the semiarid grassland meets the oceanfront and tropical rainforest coverage. Being a predominantly Muslim population and touted as one of the most stable democracies in the region, it’s a perfect destination for Malaysians to visit and explore the western front of Africa.

The Island of Gorée was the largest slave-trading centre on the African coast from the 15th to the 19th century ruled in succession by the Portuguese, Dutch, English and French. Today it continues to serve as a reminder of human exploitation and as a sanctuary for reconciliation.

Closer to home, the Senegal Embassy will be collaborating with other African embassies to organise the Africa-Malaysia Business Forum in May 2024 partnered with Ministry of Foreign Affairs, MITI and MATRADE as well as the African Union. The Ambassador invites us all to attend this year’s forum and hope to achieve better progress in connecting the two regions. For prosperity follows the peaceful.