American investors from the US state of Florida (south-west) have been in Senegal since Monday February 6 to seek “win-win partnerships.”By Oumar Dembélé

 Often presented as an island of stability in an ocean of instability, Senegal continues to attract several foreign investors who wish to grow their business. 

Thus, a consortium of ten American companies based in Florida, in the southwest of the United States, is in Dakar to explore ways to invest in the country and collaborate with local companies.

 “The objective of this mission is to promote bilateral trade between Florida – as a state – and Senegal. In Florida, we are more focused on our Latin American partners. We wanted to broaden the horizon by coming here. And we are looking for a win-win partnership. It’s not just about selling products to our Senegalese partners, it’s about offering them solutions that will promote economic development,” explained Joseph Bell, representative of Enterprise Florida, the economic development agency of Florida State.

 “We have met with representatives of the Senegalese government as well as with mayors of different municipalities. We want to listen to their proposals which we will pass on to potential investors in Florida. The latter could eventually invest in Senegal by setting up production units,” Mr. Bell said at a meeting organised on Wednesday by the American Embassy in the Senegalese capital and attended by Senegalese entrepreneurs seeking opportunities.

Mamadou Kebe is one of them. 

An expert in electronic information systems security, the young Senegalese represents Colombe Cyber Defense Operations Center (CCDOC), a company specialising in cybersecurity and the provision of services for the security of information and physical systems.

 CCDOC delivered electronic bracelets at the end of 2022 to the Senegalese government, which wants to reduce the number of detention warrants and relieve prison congestion, said Kebe, who pointed out that these technologies have not been developed in his country. 

“The solutions we provide are developed by companies such as International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) or Hewlett-Packard HP, (specialised in the production of IT services). These are mostly American companies,” he said.

In this regard, Kebe said that he continues to prospect with the Floridians in order to establish partnerships on both sides. 

“This meeting allows us to learn about the latest technological solutions available. By knowing the needs of the Senegalese market and the sub-region, we will be able to go to the customers who are looking for these solutions,” he noted.