By: Nana
Appiah Acquaye
Senegalese President
Bassirou Diomaye Faye has received a commitment from U.S.-based cybersecurity
company Cybastion to mobilise around $300 million to support major digital
sector projects in Senegal.
The announcement was made
during President Faye’s first day of engagements in Washington, where he met
with representatives of Cybastion, a company specialising in cybersecurity.
The planned investment will
support projects covering cybersecurity and the fight against cybercrime, the
development of data centres, technology transfer and the strengthening of
national digital skills.
Beyond the scale of the
funding commitment, the partnership is expected to place greater emphasis on
Senegal’s local technology ecosystem. Several Senegalese start-ups are expected
to participate in implementing the projects, creating opportunities for local
technology companies to contribute to the country’s digital transformation.
Following his engagement
with Cybastion and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, President Faye also met with
representatives of the Corporate Council on Africa.
During the engagements, the
Senegalese President outlined reforms undertaken to consolidate public finances
and highlighted the country’s priorities in agriculture, energy,
infrastructure, health and digital technology.
President Faye stressed that
Senegal is seeking investment partnerships rather than donors, emphasising that
profitable investments should generate jobs and deliver services that benefit
the Senegalese population.