From 7 to 9 October 2026, Dakar hosted the first Tunisian Olive Oil Days in Senegal, an event that brought together more than 100 Senegalese economic operators and a dozen Tunisian olive oil producing and exporting companies. Organized by the Export Promotion Centre (CEPEX), in partnership with the Tunisian Embassy in Dakar, the National Oil Office (ONH) and the Technical Centre for Packaging and Packaging (PACKTEC), this initiative is part of the project. « Support to the FTACAf » implemented by GIZ – African Union.
With 2.1 million hectares of olive groves and 147 million olive trees, Tunisia is a major player in world olive cultivation. The 2025/2026 crop year recorded a production of 500,000 tonnes, placing the country second in the world as producers and top exporters of organic olive oil.
Between November 2025 and August 2026, more than 381,000 tonnes were exported to 80 countries, generating nearly €1.4 billion in revenue.
Yet Africa still accounts for only 4 per cent of Tunisian exports. The Dakar Days aim precisely to fill this deficit by consolidating the Tunisian presence on the Senegalese market and opening the way for expansion towards West Africa.
B2B meetings and active economic diplomacy
Nearly 200 business meetings were organized between Tunisian companies and Senegalese actors: importers, distributors, wholesalers, hoteliers and restaurant owners. These exchanges identified concrete opportunities for collaboration, ranging from local conditioning to regional distribution.
The institutional dimension was not left behind. The Tunisian delegation, led by CEPEX and accompanied by the Ambassador of Tunisia, was received by the Senegalese Minister of Industry and Trade, Dr Serigne Guèye Diop.
Discussions focused on the creation of regional value chains, transfer of know-how and investment. The Minister announced an official visit to Tunisia at the end of October 2026, aimed at consolidating these partnerships.
Gastronomy as a vehicle for promotion
Beyond institutional and commercial exchanges, the mission has integrated a cultural and gastronomic dimension. A cooking show animated by a Senegalese chef highlighted the famous Yassa, revisited with Tunisian olive oil. This demonstration illustrated the versatility of the product and its possible integration into local cuisine, while attracting Senegalese consumers.
The FTACAf as a strategic framework and sustainable partnerships
The Dakar Days confirmed the role of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AFTAAf) as a catalyst for Tuniso-Senegal trade. The focal points of the two countries highlighted the opportunities offered by the agreement: gradual market opening, rules of origin, and facilitation of access to ECOWAS markets.
Senegal, Tunisia's second largest customer in sub-Saharan Africa, appears as a strategic platform for the expansion of Tunisian olive oil to West Africa. Tunisia already accounts for more than half of Senegalese olive oil imports, ahead of France and Spain.
Beyond the supplier-client relationship, the stated ambition is to build structuring partnerships: co-investment, local transformation and packaging, transfer of know-how and development of regional platforms.
The Memorandum of Understanding between the CEPEX and ASEPEX paves the way for a three-year action plan, including cross missions and sectoral meetings. Senegalese participation in the Tunisia Africa Business Meetings (TABM) in December 2026 will be another step in this process.
The Tunisian Olive Oil Days in Senegal have gone beyond just a trade promotion operation. They laid the foundations for sustainable economic cooperation, integrating institutional, technical and cultural dimensions.
Based on the FTACAf, Tunis and Dakar aim to transform olive oil into a vector of strategic partnerships, value creation and regional integration.
