President of Senegal Macky Sall on Tuesday laid the foundation stone for the construction of a port that will be built and operated by DP World at Ndayane, about 50-km from the existing port in the capital Dakar.
The investment of more than $1.13 billion in two phases to develop Port Ndayane is DP World’s largest port investment in Africa to date and the largest single private investment in the history of Senegal, DP World said in a statement.
The stone laying ceremony for the deep-water port follows the concession agreement signed in December 2020 between DP World and the Government of Senegal.
President Sall, according to the DP World statement, said Senegal will have state-of-the-art port infrastructure that will reinforce its position as a major trade hub and gateway in West Africa.
“It will unlock significant economic opportunities for local businesses, create jobs, and increase Senegal’s attractiveness to foreign investors,” he said.
He said the collaboration with DP World has already delivered “great results” with the operation of the container terminal at the Port of Dakar.
DP World said Phase 1 of the development of the port will include a container terminal with 840m of the quay and a new 5-kilometer marine channel designed to handle two 336-meter vessels simultaneously, and capable of handling the largest container vessels in the world. It will increase container handling capacity by 1.2 million Twenty Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) a year.
In Phase 2, an additional container quay of 410 meters will be developed.
The port operator said it also plans the development of an economic/industrial zone next to the port and near the Blaise Diagne International Airport, creating integrated multimodal transportation, logistics and industrial hub.
DP World chairman Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem said, “Today’s laying of the first stone not only marks the start of construction but also turning the vision of President Sall into reality.”