Ambassador of Senegal to Qatar H E Dr. Mohammed Habibo Diallo
Ambassador of Senegal to Qatar H E Dr. Mohammed Habibo Diallo has expressed his country’s desire to expand the realms of partnership with Qatar, especially in energy, tourism, and infrastructure development.
In an exclusive interview with The Peninsula, Diallo said Qatar and Senegal share strong historical ties, and the signing of important MoU’s in several fields will further ensure a robust partnership. He also disclosed that the Joint Higher Commission between both countries would be held in Dakar early next year.
“The relationship between the two countries dates back to 1975, and successive rulers have strengthened it,” Diallo said.
“The relationship was further strengthened by Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and President of Senegal H E Macky Sall with the unification of the two countries’ vision (2030 and 2035) through the signing of important MoUs which we hope to see the light soon in the fields of sports, security, air transport, education, culture and health.”
The envoy said high-profile visits between the two countries also show the relationship is good. H H the Amir visited Senegal in 2017, while more recently, Minister of Transport H E Jassim bin Saif Al Sulaiti visited Senegal. During the trip, the minister lauded the bilateral partnership in transportation, particularly in civil aviation. Qatar provides training scholarships to civil aviation industry workers of Senegal through the Qatar-African Cooperation Program organised by the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority (QCAA) in conjunction with the African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC).
“A strong will between the two leaderships will result in many aspects of bilateral cooperation between the two countries, especially in infrastructure development. Senegal can benefit from Qatar’s experiences in the field of energy, as Senegal is at the fore in gas production in the coming year,” Diallo added.
"Senegal is also hosting 2026 Summer Youth Olympics, and we can learn from Qatar's experience of hosting major sports events."
He also noted that Senegal presents a remarkable destination for tourists and investments from Qatar, particularly with plans afoot to open a direct flight from Doha to Dakar.
“So right now I’m not satisfied, as there aren’t many tourism activities from here, but I hope for it to be. Senegal has monumental and historical places. We have Goree (a Unesco World Heritage Centre) and Pink Lake (Lac Rose). We also have places for hunting. The south of Senegal is also a nice tourist place, and we hope to make these places appealing for Qataris to explore. Senegal is safe with political stability. We are the country of ‘Teranga’ (hospitality),” he noted.
According to the ambassador, Senegal is open to investments as foreigners can fully own their businesses and finalise company papers within 48 hours.
There is currently no visa application fee for Qataris applying from Doha.
