• Senegal signed a $10 million partnership with the Gates Foundation to strengthen its digital agenda.
• Funds will support universal digital ID, an AI hub for health and agriculture, and a delivery unit.
• The initiative is part of the “New Deal technologique” under Senegal Vision 2050.

Senegal signed a strategic partnership worth more than $10 million with the Bill Gates Foundation in New York on Wednesday, September 24, during the 80th United Nations General Assembly. The agreement was reached at a meeting between President Bassirou Diomaye Faye and Bill Gates.

Le Président a reçu en audience M. @BillGates, Président de la Gates Foundation.

Cette rencontre a permis de conclure un partenariat stratégique de plus de 10 millions de dollars pour accélérer le #NewDealTechnologique et faire du Sénégal un hub africain d’innovation numérique. pic.twitter.com/kBJk37Sigr

— Présidence Sénégal (@PR_Senegal) September 24, 2025

The funding will support Senegal’s flagship “New Deal technologique” by rolling out a universal digital identity system, creating an artificial intelligence hub focused on health and agriculture, and setting up a delivery unit to ensure transparency and efficiency in project execution. The aim is to position the country as “an African hub for digital innovation and to give every citizen real opportunities for an inclusive and prosperous future.”

Launched in February 2025 as part of “Vision Senegal 2050,” the New Deal technologique rests on four pillars: digital sovereignty, the digitalization of public services, the growth of the digital economy, and strengthening Senegal’s role as a regional hub in cybersecurity, AI, and connectivity.

The plan also extends to education. On September 21, the Ministry of Education launched a program to integrate AI into teaching, with plans to train 105,000 teachers and distribute 5,000 laptops to students.

The Bill Gates Foundation has been active in Senegal since 2009, with work spanning health, agriculture, education, sanitation, and nutrition.