Africa-Press – Tanzania. TANZANIA: PRESIDENT Dr Samia Suluhu Hassan has pledged to continue working together with the Senegalese government to strengthen the bilateral relations between the two countries.
The Head of State made the pledge through her X (formerly Twitter) platform in her message to congratulate President Bassirou Diomaye Faye for being elected as the new President of the Republic of Senegal.
Extending her congratulations to Faye, Dr Samia said she is looking forward to continuing to work together to strengthen the bilateral relations between Tanzania and Senegal. President Dr. Samia also congratulated the Senegalese people for a peaceful election.
“I am conveying my sincere congratulations to His Excellency Bassirou Diomaye Faye, President-elect of the Republic of Senegal, on your victory in the 2024 Senegalese presidential election and the Senegalese people for a peaceful election. You have my best wishes,” President Dr Samia wrote.
“I am looking forward to continuing to work together to strengthen the relations between Tanzania and Senegal,” she added.
Senegal’s little-known, 44-year-old opposition leader Faye was named the country’s next president on Monday, less than two weeks after being released from prison to run in the election.
While official results of Sunday’s vote were not yet available, the former prime minister who was the other frontrunner, and who was backed by incumbent President Macky Sall, conceded defeat based on preliminary results. Sall followed with congratulations, also naming Faye as the winner.
Faye’s victory reflected frustration among youth with high unemployment and concerns about governance in the West African nation. In his first speech delivered as president-elect late Monday, the former tax inspector promised to open a fresh chapter following the months of violence and many political arrests that led up to the election.
“I pledge to govern with humility and transparency, and to fight corruption at all levels. I pledge to devote myself fully to rebuilding our institutions,” he said, restating promises made during his campaign. Faye, who was backed by popular opposition leader Ousmane Sonko, has vowed to improve Senegal’s control over its natural resources by promoting national companies to prevent the country from falling into what his campaign called “economic enslavement.” He ran in the place of his close ally Sonko, who was barred from running due to a prior conviction.
Sonko was also released on March 14 after months in prison to jubilant celebrations in the capital, following the president’s announcement of a political amnesty.
The outgoing president Sall, who triggered violent protests earlier this year when he unsuccessfully tried to postpone the election until the end of the year, described the outcome of the vote as a victory for Senegal.
According to the Africa Research Institute, Tanzania and Senegal have long records of political stability. Both made peaceful transitions from single-party ‘African socialism’ to multiparty democracy, becoming favourites with foreign donors and development agencies. State of the nation’s Peace and stability in Tanzania and Senegal have attracted financial rewards.
Tanzania receives more development aid per capita from the G8 group of industrialised nations than any other African country.
Senegal, a secular Muslim democracy, retains generous bilateral support from the US. In September 2009, the American government’s Millennium Challenge Corporation announced a financial assistance package for Senegal worth 540 million US dollars over five years.
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