Saudi Arabia partners with Senegal on railway, desalination plant

Saudi Arabia partners with Senegal on railway, desalination plant

The UAE, Israel and Turkey have also upped their engagement with African states in recent years.













COMESA - Twitter























September 28, 2022









Saudi Arabia and Senegal made significant strides in improving their relations this week. 

The Saudi company ACWA Power signed a memorandum of understanding Tuesday with Senegal’s national electric and water companies to build a water desalination plant. ACWA signed another memorandum with the Senegalese electric company to build a gas-to-power plant, the company said in a press release. 

The Federation of Saudi Chambers and Senegal’s National Union of Chambers also agreed Tuesday to establish a joint Saudi-Senegalese business council, the official Saudi Press Agency reported. 

Reuters also reported Tuesday that Saudi Arabia’s development fund agreed to provide the West African country with a $63 million loan to construct a highway on its Atlantic coast. 

Why it matters: Saudi Arabia has had a strong diplomatic presence on the African continent for decades. Saudi investments on the continent have not been historically numerous, on the other hand, the French Institute of International Relations wrote in 2020. 

Saudi Arabia has