Harper's Senegal visit spotlights foreign aid partnerships

Stephen Harper used his first full day of a bilateral visit to Senegal to spotlight Canada's foreign aid projects in the West African democracy.

A trio of international assistance announcements nearly $5 million over five years to fund a vocational school in Dakar, nearly $7 million for collaborative geomatics projects and $20 million over three yearsfor a food security and nutrition project illustrated Senegal's status as a "country of focus" for Canada's international assistance efforts.

In 2009, the Harper government changed its foreign aid strategy,narrowing the list of countries funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)in order to better concentrate its efforts on identified priorities. Senegal's relatively strong democracy helps make its case for assistance in comparison with other West African countries, as seen earlier this year when fair and credible presidential elections were held.

Harper's tour began at the Centre dEntreprenariat et de Dvelopment Technique vocational school in Dakar, where he met with students studying geomatics. Students Bnilde Oudiane and Adja Sene as well as the school's principal Abdoul B showed Harper maps representing different applications of the technology they were learning.

Harper congratulated them on their work, saying their presentations suggested they may have a future in politics.

This school along with ones in four other regions of Senegal have received Canadian assistance to train teachers, develop curriculumand prepare students to enter the work force or start their own businesses.

"Canada is helping Senegal to develop exciting new industries that will foster sustainable economic development, as well as help understand and mitigate natural disasters," said Harper in a news release about the visit. "A well-trained local workforce is essential to making this work."

Canada's five-year educational assistance program is being implemented by la Fondation Paul Grin-Lajoie, a Canadian non-governmental organization with 30 years of experience specializing in education and international development, the news release said.

In 2011-2012, CIDA allocated more than $31 milliontowards education and training in Senegal.

Natural Resources Canada has also partnered with the Senegalese government to develop training and other tools for its national geomatics plan. Satellite technology launched in June now assists surveyors and other scientists in sustainable land management.

International Cooperation Minister Julian Fantino as well as French-speaking Conservative MP Shelly Glover joinedHarper for the school tour. Canada's ambassador, Perry Calderwood,Conservative MP Royal Galipeau and SenatorsRaynell Andreychuk andClaude Carignan are also participating inthe bilateral visit.

Food security an aid priority

The food and nutrition funding complements Canada'srecenthumanitarianassistance to the Sahel region of Africaby addressing chronic food insecurity in Senegal. The World Food Programme (WFP), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) will be involved in delivering Canada's aid.

The government's news release says the fundingwill:

• increase agricultural production in areas at risk.
• provide access to basic food commodities by the local populations in vulnerable areas.
• provide increased access to chronic malnutrition prevention and therapeutic services in vulnerable areas.
• increase access to quality seeds.
• enhance current agricultural practices.

Food insecurity in this part of Africa is so acute, Harper heard Wednesday, that even in good years 230,000 children maydie.

The prime minister wasbriefed by United Nations officials on not only the unfolding food crisis across Africa's Sahel region, but also the security situation in neighbouring Mali, which has been destabilized by fighters returning from the earlier conflict in Libya.

Porous borders across West Africa make it difficult to monitor and crack down onknown Islamist terrorist groupsin the region, whiletransnational drug trafficking and organized crime are equally destabilizing, officials told Harper.

Business roundtable

Later, Harpermet with local business leaders including the CEO of Teranga Gold,a Toronto-basedmining company that's responsible for thelargest Canadian investment in Senegal, totalling over $500 million.

Teranga Gold is one of Senegal's top employers and its mine is an important source of revenue ($10 million annually) for the Senegalese government.

Other miningcompanies make up the bulk of Canada's foreign investment in the region.

In general, Canada'sexports to Senegalare meagreworth less than $28 million in 2011, compared to the millions allocated for development assistance. Canadian imports from Senegalwere valued atonly $1 millionin 2011.

Harper's day will conclude with a visit to the presidential palace to call on Senegalese President Macky Sall.

Harper's Senegalese visit continuestomorrow before moving on to Kinshasha, Congo for theSummit of la Francophoniecountries this weekend.

Terry Milewski reported that the Senegalese portion of Harper's tour is a "good news trip" before moving on to a "much more complicated visit" to Congo.