Afripoli

🌊 Senegal is a country where fishing is part of everyday life. With more than 700 km of Atlantic coastline, around half a million tonnes of fish are caught every year, mostly by small-scale fishers. Fish also provides almost one-third of the animal protein consumed in the country.

🐟 As pressure on wild fish stocks grows, aquaculture is becoming an important part of Senegal's future. This is an area where the Czech Republic has valuable experience to share. For centuries, Czech experts have developed freshwater fish farming, and today they are also advancing modern aquaculture technologies and research.

These opportunities were at the heart of last week's meeting between Czech Ambassador Pavel Procházka, Senegal's Minister of Fisheries and Maritime Economy Amy Mara, and Afripoli.

The discussion focused on freshwater aquaculture, reducing post-harvest losses, agri-food processing, stronger value chains, and cooperation between universities and vocational training institutions.

The Czech Republic has expertise. Senegal has ambition. Together, we can build long-term partnerships that create real impact. 🇨🇿🇸🇳

Investments for Partnership 🤝

Today, we joined discussions at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic on the evolving role of Czech development cooperation and its greater focus on engaging the private sector.

At Afripoli, we see this as an opportunity to transform this momentum into meaningful projects, stronger partnerships, and long-term impact in sub-Saharan Africa — a region that is our primary focus. 🌍

However, alongside the opportunities, it is clear that both private companies and public institutions must continuously learn and adapt. A quality product is necessary, but not sufficient for success.

Equally important is a well-designed project rooted in local realities, ideally driven by a committed private sector and supported by strong public and financial institutions.

This is why at Afripoli, we place great emphasis on local presence, building long-term relationships, and a deep understanding of the markets in which we operate.

Our experience shows that this approach resonates with our partners and creates the foundation for sustainable and successful projects.

At the Africa Smart Mobility Forum in Prague, one idea kept coming back throughout the discussions: ⚡ Smart mobility starts with energy.

Electric buses, charging infrastructure, rail systems, airports, and digital transport networks — all of them depend on reliable electricity. As African economies continue to grow, so does the demand for both mobility and energy.

At Afripoli, we are working on a simple question:

☀️ What if more of the technology behind the energy transition could be produced locally?

This is why we are developing projects that connect European clean-energy technologies with African markets.

We believe the true value is in building local capacity, creating jobs, and transferring know-how so that infrastructure growth can be supported by local industry.

🌍 And we are happy to see that this approach resonates strongly with many partners across Africa.

The conversations in Prague highlighted something important: the future of Africa-Europe cooperation is increasingly practical, project-driven, and focused on implementation.

Less discussion about possibilities.

More discussion about how to make them happen. 🤝

More from our visit to Touba, shared by the Czech Embassy in Dakar. The work continues — solar energy projects with local partners, taking shape on the ground.

🌍 Border security in Africa cannot be reduced to control alone.

One of the strongest messages from the workshop “Borders Under Pressure: Threats, Responses, and Coordination” was that border management in West Africa and the Sahel must be understood through the realities of the region itself.

Borders are not only lines separating states. They are areas where mobility, trade, family ties, local livelihoods, security risks and state presence meet every day.

This is why integrated border management cannot simply be imported from external models. It must be adapted to African realities — including the importance of local communities, informal cross-border dynamics, regional mobility and the need to maintain good neighbourly relations.

🛰️ At the same time, technology has an important role to play. Cameras, sensors, drones, detection systems and geospatial tools can strengthen situational awareness and support border monitoring. But technology alone is not enough.

For these tools to be effective, they must be connected to reliable infrastructure, trained personnel, institutional coordination and clear rules around data protection and sovereignty.

The same applies to security responses more broadly. Lasting results require trust between communities and institutions, stronger civil-military cooperation, and the involvement of local leaders, women’s organisations and youth in prevention and early warning.

The key takeaway is clear: effective border management is not about closing borders. It is about managing them intelligently — as spaces of security, cooperation, development and resilience.

This was the spirit of the closed expert workshop co-organised by in cooperation with - and its partners in Dakar.

🌍 Border areas in West Africa and the Sahel are increasingly becoming strategic spaces where security threats, organised crime, illicit flows, migration, limited state presence and the socio-economic vulnerability of local communities intersect.

Addressing these challenges requires more than border control alone. It requires coordination between security institutions, researchers, international organisations, civil society and local communities — as well as a better understanding of how technology, governance and field experience can work together.

📍 These issues were at the centre of the closed expert workshop “Borders Under Pressure: Threats, Responses, and Coordination,” co-organised by in cooperation with the Laboratoire des Études Sociales de l’IFAN — - and its partners. The workshop brought together representatives of armed and security forces, academia, international organisations, civil society and experts working in the fields of security, technology and border management.

Across the sessions, participants discussed violent extremism, organised crime and illicit flows, civil-military cooperation, integrated border management, the role of local communities and the use of modern tools for monitoring and securing border areas.

The discussions highlighted a clear message: borders can no longer be understood merely as administrative lines separating states. They must also be approached as wider border regions where security, mobility, trade and local livelihoods are closely interconnected.

🤝 We thank LABES-IFAN, Dr Mamadou Akila Bodian, PhD, all speakers, participants and partners for two days of substantive and constructive exchange in .

🇸🇳 Our work in Senegal recently took us to the magnificent city of Touba — one of the country’s most important spiritual, cultural, and social centres, known for its unique role in Senegalese religious and public life.

The delegation was received by the Grand Khalife General of the Mourides and visited the Great Mosque of Touba, as well as the Cheikh Ahmadou Khadim Complex and its library — institutions that play a central role in the city’s identity, education, and public life.

Afripoli’s work in Touba focuses on sustainable energy and local capacity development. Dialogue with local institutions and a focus on practical cooperation allow us to develop projects that are sustainable, impactful, and relevant to local communities.

We thank the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Dakar Ambassade de la République tchèque au Sénégal, the Municipality of Touba, Mayor Abdou Lahad Ka, and Mr. Abdoul Wahab Gaye for enabling this important exchange.

🤝 Afripoli remains committed to supporting Czech–Senegalese cooperation through projects that are practical, locally relevant, and built for the long term.



Al Mouriddiyah TV Officiel

Afripoli was pleased to accompany the Czech delegation during this important visit to Touba and to continue building dialogue with local institutions and community leadership. 🇸🇳 🇨🇿

Our work in Senegal focuses on sustainable energy and local capacity development. We remain committed to supporting Czech–Senegalese cooperation through projects that are practical, locally relevant, and built for the long term.

Thank you to the Municipality of Touba, Mayor Abdou Lahad Ka, the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Dakar, and Mr. Abdoul Wahab Gaye for enabling this meaningful exchange.

Ambassade de la République tchèque au Sénégal MZV - Subsaharská Afrika