A memorandum of understanding has been signed on the opening of Yunus Emre Institute's branch in Dakar, the capital of Senegal. The Memorandum of Understanding on the Opening of Yunus Emre Institute's Dakar Branch has been inked by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and Senegalese Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Senegalese Diaspora Amadou Ba during President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's visit to Senegal as part of his Africa tour.

Under the agreement, Yunus Emre Institute, which has been conducting activities for three years in Senegal, will open a cultural center. This will allow Senegalese people to know Turkish language and culture closely.

The Institute made its first foray into Senegal in 2016 when it inked a Turkology protocol with the country's largest university Cheikh Anta Diop University. Under this protocol, more than 200 people have been introduced to Turkish in Senegal. In this university, Turkish is taught as an elective foreign language and the work for establishing a Turkology department is underway.

Senegalese army learns Turkish

The officers of Senegalese army continue to learn Turkish under the military training and cooperation agreement signed between Turkey and Senegal.

In line with the protocol made between Yunus Emre Institute and the Senegalese Chief of General Staff in 2018, a Turkish Language Teaching Center was established at Cap Manuel Military Base in Dakar. In 2019, 36 military officers have completed the two-level Turkish training course and came to Turkey. In the Turkish course launched in September 2019, 16 military officers started to learn Turkish. The new semester of courses is expected to commence in March.

So far, approximately 400 people have learned Turkish in Senegal thanks to Yunus Emre Institute's initiatives.