The embassies of Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand in Dakar celebrated the 59th anniversary of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on 19 August 2026. The meeting also highlighted several areas of cooperation between South-East Asia and Senegal, including trade, investment, agriculture, training and digital technology.

ASEAN diplomatic missions in Dakar organized a joint ceremony at the residence of Indonesia's ambassador to Senegal to mark the organization's 59th anniversary. The meeting brought together representatives of the Senegalese authorities as well as several ambassadors and representatives of ASEAN partner countries, including Japan, China, India, South Korea and Russia.

Placed under the theme « sailing together towards our future (Navigating Our Future Together)) »The commemoration was an opportunity for the representatives of Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand to revisit relations between the countries of South-East Asia and Senegal.

The discussions included opportunities for cooperation in human capital development, with attention to training and capacity-building for young people and women.

Several sectors were also identified as potential areas of collaboration, including: Agriculture, Public Health, Halal Industry and Digital Transformation. Discussions focused on the sharing of expertise and experience, as well as the development of practices that could contribute to food security and the modernization of agricultural techniques.

Representatives of ASEAN missions also referred to the need to increase direct trade and investment between South-East Asian countries and Senegal. Cooperation between the private sectors and the development of economic partnerships are also among the areas highlighted in connection with the rapprochement between the two spaces.

The ceremony ended with a reception of participants around Indonesian, Malaysian and Thai culinary specialties. Through this commemoration, the diplomatic missions in Dakar have associated ASEAN's anniversary celebration with a reflection on the prospects for cooperation between South-East Asia, Senegal and, more broadly, West Africa.