Senegal-Côte d’Ivoire: the partnership opens up to digital technology, security and youth October 19, 2026
Prime Minister Ahmadou Alhaminou Lô’s working visit to Côte d’Ivoire also highlighted several areas of cooperation beyond diplomacy and economic exchanges.
Digital transformation, security, cultural and creative industries, sport and regional integration offer new perspectives to a partnership that Dakar and Abidjan want to adapt to contemporary challenges.
Digital technology at the service of state modernization
Digital transformation is among the projects likely to bring Senegal and Ivory Coast closer together. Senegal intends to accelerate the modernization of its administration and its economy through its digital strategy and better governance of information systems.
This orientation aims in particular to improve public management, optimize the use of resources and strengthen data security. The protection of sensitive information, in particular that relating to defense secrecy, constitutes an important issue in this transformation.
In this context, the sharing of experiences between the two countries could promote the identification of solutions adapted to their respective needs. Technical exchanges would make it possible to examine practices in digital governance, securing information systems and modernizing public services.
Cooperation could also focus on responding to new technological challenges and risks linked to digital security. For both governments, digital technology thus represents a lever for modernizing the State, but also an area where the pooling of skills can contribute to strengthening national capacities.
Security: better anticipate threats
Security challenges constitute another axis of rapprochement between Dakar and Abidjan. Faced with cross-border threats and crises affecting the regional environment, the two countries wish to strengthen their capacity for anticipation and deepen cooperation mechanisms.
Opportunities for collaboration in intelligence and technology were discussed. Administrative cooperation is also among the avenues to explore, particularly to improve coordination between central and territorial administrations.
Community policing and exchanges of experiences in the electoral field are among the subjects identified. These different projects underline the importance of a coordinated approach, bringing together relevant institutions and based on mechanisms adapted to the realities of each country.
Strengthening this cooperation, however, requires specifying the areas of intervention, the responsibilities of the structures concerned and the necessary institutional instruments. The objective is to provide a more operational framework for exchanges and to promote better anticipation of risks.
Culture and media: promoting African talents and content
Relations between Senegal and Ivory Coast are also based on cultural and artistic exchanges. The two countries wish to better promote their talents and make cultural and creative industries a lever for bringing people together and creating wealth.
The updating of cultural cooperation agreements is among the avenues mentioned. This includes taking into account the evolution of digital uses and strengthening the protection of copyright, while examining the remuneration mechanisms for creators.
Discussions also focused on the taxation applicable to media and the conditions for promoting cultural content. These questions are becoming increasingly important in an environment where works circulate on new platforms and where the remuneration of creators remains an issue for African cultural industries.
The resource difficulties encountered by press agencies were also discussed, as were the possibilities for technical cooperation. Strengthened collaboration could help improve information production and dissemination capacities, while consolidating links between professionals from the two countries.
The YOG Dakar 2026, an opportunity for young people
Sport also appears to be a sector with strong economic and social potential. The Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games (YOG) offer an opportunity to highlight the organizational capabilities of the African continent and to promote professions linked to sport and leisure.
The question of the 6,000 volunteers mobilized for the YOG was raised in the discussions. Beyond their participation in the event, their professional integration after the Games constitutes an important issue. The reflection therefore focuses on ways to promote the skills acquired and facilitate their transition to the world of work.
Sharing experiences between Senegal and Ivory Coast could help develop training, sports entrepreneurship and activities linked to the organization of major events. The sports economy can indeed open up perspectives in several areas, from infrastructure management to events, including services and leisure industries.
For both countries, the challenge is to go beyond the sporting dimension alone in order to make this sector a lever for employment, training and international influence.
Cooperation part of regional integration
Cooperation between Dakar and Abidjan is finally part of a broader ambition to consolidate West African integration. The two countries intend to strengthen their role within UEMOA and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
Political dialogue and diplomatic coordination appear essential in the face of economic crises, security challenges and transformations in the multilateral environment. The discussions also focused on the issues of economic and monetary integration within ECOWAS.
In this perspective, Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire wish to combine their efforts to promote concerted responses to common difficulties and contribute to the stability of the region. Their economic weight and their experience of cooperation give them leverage to support initiatives at the community level.
The realization of this ambition will nevertheless depend on the capacity of the two governments to coordinate their positions, to identify common priorities and to translate their orientations into sustained actions.
Create new joint projects
The diversification of areas of cooperation demonstrates the desire of Dakar and Abidjan to broaden their partnership to the issues that shape the future of the region. Digital, security, culture, media and sport offer opportunities for collaboration, provided that the avenues mentioned lead to clearly identified projects.
The joint monitoring system envisaged by the two governments could help organize this work, by specifying institutional responsibilities, deadlines and expected results. This will involve better coordinating administrations and maintaining the dynamic between the different bilateral meetings.
Through the visit of Prime Minister Ahmadou Alhaminou Lô, Senegal and Ivory Coast are thus displaying their desire to give a new dimension to their relationship. The objective is to preserve historical proximity while adapting it to the challenges of youth, innovation, security and regional integration.
The strengthening of this partnership will be measured by its capacity to produce concrete progress, to open new perspectives for populations and to contribute to peace and prosperity in West Africa.
Sheikh Gora DIOP
