• Funds to boost farm mechanization, expand training center in Diamniadio
• Senegal targets food sovereignty, aims to train 700,000 technicians by 2029

Senegal and Japan have signed two bilateral agreements worth $24 million to support agriculture and 

vocational training, the Ministry of Economy, Planning, and Cooperation announced on Sunday, October 12, 2025.

The first deal, valued at 892.8 million XOF ($1.57 million), is part of the Economic and Social Development Program. It will fund the purchase of agricultural machinery for the Agricultural and Industrial Development Company (SODAGRI) to boost mechanization in eastern Senegal and Casamance.

The second and larger agreement covers the construction of a new annex for the Senegal-Japan Vocational and Technical Training Center (CFPT-SJ) in Diamniadio. According to the ministry, the project aims to expand training programs by adding two new fields: renewable energy and industrial maintenance. The project is valued at 12.886 billion XOF.

Senegal aims to achieve food sovereignty by 2028 through an ambitious national strategy backed by major investments and targeted agricultural reforms. Authorities plan to mobilize $2.5 billion over the next five years to boost agricultural output, focusing on key value chains such as rice, dairy, tomato, and banana production, along with livestock and poultry farming.

Vocational and technical training is also central to Senegal’s development agenda. Under the “Senegal 2050” transformation plan, the government targets the training of 700,000 qualified technicians by 2029, with support from public and private partners.

By 2035, Senegal also plans for 30% of middle school graduates to pursue technical and vocational training to reduce school dropouts, social exclusion, and the emigration of unskilled youth. Senegal and Japan have long maintained strong diplomatic, economic, and development ties.

Lydie Mobio