VZCZCXRO9589
PP RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHDK #1382/01 1801303
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 291303Z JUN 07
FM AMEMBASSY DAKAR
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8675
INFO RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHDC PRIORITY
RUCLRFA/USDA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEHAR/AMEMBASSY ACCRA PRIORITY 1518
RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DAKAR 001382 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR AF/EPS AND AF/W 
STATE PLS PASS TO USTR/CHAMILTON 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ETRD EAGR EINV EFIN EAID EAIR SG
SUBJECT: ROUNDTABLE ON SENEGAL'S AGOA FORUM PRIORITIES 
 
REF: A. STATE 58394 
 
     ¶B. DAKAR 1054 
 
¶1.  (SBU) SUMMARY:  On June 19, Senegal's Ministry of Commerce 
organized a stakeholder roundtable to assess the state of 
preparations for the GOS' participation in the July 18-19 AGOA 
Forum.  EconOff and representatives from the West African Trade 
Hub/Dakar participated.  Senegal is not yet well organized to offer 
its priorities for the Forum (apart from requesting simultaneous 
translation at all events), and, in general, neither the GOS nor the 
private sector has made a significant effort to help Senegalese 
producers benefit from AGOA preferences.  END SUMMARY. 
 
TO DATE, SENEGAL HAS LITTLE TO SHOW FOR AGOA 
-------------------------------------------- 
¶2.  (U) On June 19, Cheikh Sadbou Seck, Director of External Trade 
at the Ministry of Commerce, hosted a roundtable discussion to 
assess the state of Senegal's preparation for the July 18-19 AGOA 
Forum in Accra.  Participants included representatives from the 
Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Agency for 
Investment and Export Promotion (APIX), the Senegalese Agency for 
Export Promotion (ASEPEX), the National Agency for Senegalese Civil 
Aviation (ANACS), private sector groups like the National 
Organization of Senegalese Fruit and Vegetable Producers and 
Exporters (ONAPES), as well as representatives from the West Africa 
Trade Hub/Dakar (WATH/D), EconOff and Econ Assistant.  Seck's goal 
in calling this meeting was to assess progress made on Senegal's 
AGOA promotion efforts since last year's Forum in Washington, DC, 
and June and September 2006 U.S./Senegal meetings in Dakar to 
establish priorities for the Senegalese delegation to this year's 
Forum. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Unfortunately, the participating GOS agencies had not yet 
focused on AGOA preparations.  Mr. Seck charged the ASEPEX 
representative to coordinate efforts to propose an agenda for a 
follow-on meeting.  WATH/D reps summarized trade statistics 
demonstrating that, in comparison to other comparable African 
countries, Senegal's exports to the U.S. are very low.  EconOff 
recommended that the Senegalese delegation not limit its comparative 
analysis to West African neighbors, but, instead consult widely with 
African counterparts who are successfully using AGOA to expand 
exports on a broad range of products and not focus exclusively on 
textiles and commodities.  The December 2006 introduction of direct 
flights between Senegal and the U.S. by Delta Airlines was noted as 
a positive step.  The ANACS representative asserted that Senegalese 
civil aviation authorities are working hard to obtain ICAO Category 
One status for Dakar's international airport to solidify Delta and 
South African Airlines' U.S. routes.  Participants underscored the 
need for improved air cargo links between Senegal and the U.S. 
 
¶4.  (U) Representatives from the private sector highlighted the need 
for the GOS to establish a point of contact for AGOA information 
both in Senegal and in the U.S. and pointed out that there has been 
zero progress over the past year in promoting franchising as an 
effective investment model, which was one of the priorities for the 
Senegalese delegation coming out of the 2006 AGOA Forum.  There were 
also requests that simultaneous translation be provided for all the 
panels and workshops, not only the plenary sessions. 
 
THE GOS IS NOT EFFECTIVELY PROMOTING AGOA 
----------------------------------------- 
¶5.  (SBU) To date, GOS (and private sector) efforts to take 
advantage of AGOA have been underwhelming.  ASEPEX, in particular, 
has not followed-through on its role as the lead agency for 
partnering with the WATH to promote AGOA and assist potential 
Senegalese exporters.  Senegal is the only AGOA eligible country in 
West Africa without an AGOA Resource Center (ARC) 
-- even Guinea-Bissau has one -- which should be the first point of 
contact for exporters who wish to learn more about exporting using 
AGOA, i.e. how to apply the correct harmonization codes to ensure 
duty free entry, whether a product is AGOA eligible, how to obtain 
textile visas, where to find related trade data, etc. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) In 2006, former Minister of Commerce Mamadou Diop Decroix 
and USAID designated ASEPEX as the ARC host institution.  USAID/WATH 
has an in-kind donation of computer equipment, training, and other 
materials for Senegal's ARC as soon as ASEPEX decides to open it. 
The host government is responsible only for engaging (and paying the 
salary of) an ARC coordinator.  In WATH's opinion, ASEPEX wants the 
USG to significantly and directly fund ASEPEX's AGOA efforts; 
computers and other information materials are not enough. 
Similarly, a National AGOA Committee was launched in 2006.  However, 
to date, no actions have been taken except one meeting of a steering 
committee in September 2006 in which the Minister and the Ambassador 
participated. 
 
 
DAKAR 00001382  002 OF 002 
 
 
¶7.  (U) Visit Embassy Dakar's Intranet site at 
http://dakar.state.gov/htdocs/section/econSec tion.aspx and Embassy 
Dakar's SIPRNET Web site at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/af/dakar. 
 
Jacobs