Vietnam and Senegal cooperate on irrigation planning and water security

As part of the official visit to the Republic of Senegal by National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man and the high-level Vietnamese delegation, on the afternoon of July 22 in the capital city of Dakar, Deputy Prime Minister Le Thanh Long held talks with Senegal’s Minister of Water and Sanitation, Cheikh Tidiane Dieye, to discuss cooperation in irrigation and water resource management.

Deputy PM Le Thanh Long expressed his appreciation for the warm welcome from the Minister and Senegalese partners, emphasizing that the visit reflects Vietnam’s commitment to strengthening practical cooperation with African countries, particularly in water resource management and sustainable agricultural development.

During the meeting, the two sides exchanged views on issues of mutual interest and proposed specific measures to expand the scope of bilateral cooperation in the fields of irrigation and water resources.

As a country with a long tradition of rice cultivation, over hundreds of years, Vietnamese people have known how to manage water resources effectively, building irrigation systems to serve agricultural production. As a result, Vietnam has gained practical experience and cost-effective solutions in developing and operating rural water supply systems, treating saline groundwater, and harvesting rainwater.

According to the Deputy PM, climate change poses significant challenges for farmers to adapt to real-world conditions and "live with floods" in Vietnam’s major delta regions.

Therefore, Vietnam is willing to share its experience with Senegal in areas such as irrigation planning, water resource management, project development and implementation, and capacity building, through bilateral or trilateral cooperation models.

"We can transfer technology and support Senegal in developing water-saving models such as alternate wetting and drying irrigation in agricultural production, as well as in applying simple, low-cost water filtration technologies that are suitable for remote and underserved areas.

In vocational training, both sides should promote expert and student exchanges. Vietnam is ready to send experts for short-term technical support and to conduct joint research, share data, and operate water monitoring and early warning systems in the context of climate change," the Deputy PM stated.

The Government leader also encouraged stronger business-to-business connections between the two countries through cooperation forums on agriculture, irrigation, and water treatment, while facilitating opportunities for Vietnamese enterprises to visit Senegal for market surveys and investment exploration.

Sharing Senegal’s approach, Minister Cheikh Tidiane Dieye affirmed that the water and sanitation sector is one of the country’s strategic pillars for socio-economic development.

However, the West African nation is facing major challenges due to rapid population growth, which places heavy pressure on its existing infrastructure. In addition, the shortage of water for production is becoming increasingly severe due to the impacts of climate change, compounded by limited financial capacity and disparities in development between urban and rural areas.

"With abundant hydrological and solar energy potential, Senegal has many opportunities to develop solutions that ensure water supply, while reducing costs and minimizing environmental impact," Minister Dieye emphasized. "I hope the two countries will soon establish a partnership in the field of irrigation and share experiences in water resource management, thereby learning from each other to strengthen transboundary water governance capacity."

In response to the remarks shared by the Senegalese side, the Deputy Prime Minister of Vietnam assigned the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment to act as the lead agency in coordinating efforts and establishing a bilateral working group in the field of irrigation and water resource management. This group will work closely with relevant ministries and agencies of Senegal to translate the discussed cooperation areas into concrete initiatives and actions.

In addition, the South-South Cooperation Task Force under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment will consider including the partnership with Senegal in its priority fundraising plan under the South-South framework. Both sides agreed to soon designate contact points to jointly develop a detailed cooperation plan to be submitted to the two governments.