Madar (Dakar) - The director general of the Senegalese Shippers' Council (COSEC), Ousseynou Pouye, pushed for a regular shipping line between Dakar and the Cape Verdean capital during an official mission to Praia, the state daily Le Soleil reported on Friday 13 November 2026.
According to the paper, COSEC announced it will build a 5,000-tonne cargo ship with its own funds to carry Senegalese goods to the archipelago, and is considering chartering a vessel for the route until it is delivered.
Cape Verde's Minister of Economy, Commerce, Industry and Digital Transition, António Baptista, received the Senegalese official, who handed him the official invitation to the International Forum of African Shippers (FICA), to be held in Dakar from 30 November to 2 December 2026 with Cape Verde as guest of honour. The minister confirmed he would attend, the source said.
Pouye also met Cape Verde's minister of transport and the sea to discuss goods and passenger transport, as well as private-sector representatives. Both sides called for closer cooperation between economic operators, particularly in agriculture and trade.
"We import everything from Europe while Senegal has everything we need," said Marcos Rodrigues, president of the Cape Verdean chamber of commerce, according to the paper, which said the archipelago's authorities see Senegal as a gateway to African markets under the African Continental Free Trade Area.
