Praia, Jan. 9, 2025 (Lusa) - A private consortium launched a maritime freight line on Thursday between Dakar (Senegal), Banjul (Gambia) and Praia (Cabo Verde), the owners announced in Cabo Verde's capital at a ceremony attended by government representatives.

Jorge Santos, minister of maritime affairs, said he hoped it would be ‘the beginning of a new era in economic relations between Cabo Verde, Senegal and Gambia’.

The private line run by the Alkebulan Comimex group, owned by Senegalese and Cabo Verde's businesspeople in that country, is seen as an ‘innovation’ that was lacking in economic integration between countries that are ‘two to three days apart by sea’, but have little trade, he emphasised.

The delegation watched operations today on the ship Djilor, in the port of Praia, which loaded cement from Senegal to Cabo Verde and will export basalt gravel from the archipelago, to be used in construction.

The vessel that will make the connections will begin by loading raw materials, but the aim is for it to extend to food products, in both directions, the promoters said.

‘Both sides stand to gain,’ said Ely Sy Beye, Senegal's ambassador to Praia.

The line will operate in test phases for three months, with an investment of €1 million, said Véronique Reis, from the promoter group, who sees several opportunities with the opening of the link.

The vessel could increase the diversity of food products supplied to Cabo Verde and ‘lower prices’, she said.

Jorge Santos also hopes that the initiative will ‘increase’ trade volume with the continent since the Senegalese group Comimex ‘is already in the region’ with cabotage along the West African coast.

LFO/ADB // ADB.

Lusa