The government of Japan through JICA (Japanese International Cooperation Agency) has granted the Senegalese State additional funding of approximately US$ 4.67M to fund the implementation of the port of Dakar’s Pier 3 modernization project.
This grant is subject to an agreement signed last month by the Senegalese Minister of the Economy, Amadou Hott, and the Japanese ambassador to Senegal, Arai Tatsuo. It brings the total amount of Japan’s investments in this program to close to US$ 40M.
Overview of the project
The port of Dakar’s Pier 3 modernization project was launched on July 4, 2019. The works concern, among other things, the construction of a 350m long sheet pile quay and the rehabilitation of embankments and traffic lanes.
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The Minister of Economy of the West African country said that the project is necessary because it will help increase the ports competitiveness and turnover, and consolidate the role it plays in the development of foreign trade in Senegal and in the sub-region.
Owing to its new ability to accommodate ships with up to a capacity of 35,000 tonnes and a length of 190 meters, Pier 3 of the port of Dakar that has an exceptional geographical position-the most advanced point of the West African coast- at the intersection of the routes linking Europe to South America, and North America to South Africa should be able to handle 1.2 million tonnes of goods at the least upon completion of the works sometime next year.
Built between 1939 and 1969, the port of Dakar’s Pier 3 is essentially dedicated to transit traffic from Mali, a West African country that the port of Dakar handles the majority of goods from and to.
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