Senegalese President Macky Sall on Tuesday afternoon arrived in Uganda for a two-day state visit that officials in the East African nation have touted as one aimed at strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries.
President Sall arrived from neighbouring Rwanda where he attended the Women Discover Conference opening ceremony. Sall had also been in Kenya where he among others measures, agreed that the western African nation will be providing free visa entry to Kenyan passport holders.
In Uganda, although details of his visit are restricted to strengthening bilateral relations, it comes more than a year after President Yoweri Museveni visited Dakar.
In Senegal, the two leaders held talks on the security situation and economic developments on the continent. At the time, Sall was the African Union Chairperson.
Sall’s visit to Uganda comes a day after President Museveni received a briefing on the situation in Ukraine where he was supposed to be with a group of five other African leaders. Sall was part of the African Peace Mission that visited Moscow and Kyiv to resolve the Russia-Ukraine war.
President Museveni missed the trip as he was in isolation after contracting coronavirus. Ex premiers, Ruhakana Rugunda and Amama Mbabazi represented him.
“However, our position remains clear, that the war must end through a peaceful process of dialogue between Russia and Ukraine. This war is affecting Africa, threatening world peace, not to mention the sanctions that are affecting many sectors like marine transport, banking etc,” President Museveni said after their meeting.
It is believed that the situation in Russia and Ukraine will feature in the talks between the two leaders and its effects on the continent.
While still AU Chairperson, Macky Sall led efforts to enable the export of Ukrainian grain to ease a global food crisis that was hitting Africa hard at the time.
Uganda and Senegal established diplomatic relations on 8 April 1970 when the latter accredited her first Ambassador to Uganda.
TRADE
During the last 25 years the exports of Uganda to Senegal have increased at an annualized rate of 3.46%, from $109k in 1996 to $255k in 2021. According to reports, in 2021, Uganda exported $255k to Senegal. The main products that Uganda exported to Senegal were Lifting Machinery ($175k), Gaskets ($21.5k), and Aluminium Structures ($16.7k).
In the same year, Senegal exported $1.24M to Uganda. The main products that Senegal exported to Uganda were Beauty Products ($1.18M), Vaccines, blood, antisera, toxins and cultures ($42.6k), and Leather Footwear ($4.7k). During the last 25 years the exports of Senegal to Uganda have increased at an annualized rate of 14.5%, from $41.8k in 1996 to $1.24M in 2021.