U.S. Presidential Delegation Attends President Macky Sall Inauguration

From left to right: Johnnie Carson, Daniel Yohannes, Ambassador Lewis Lukens and General Carter Ham.

President Obama sent a Presidential Delegation to Dakar, Senegal to attend the Inauguration of new Senegalese President, Macky Sall.

President Barack Obama designated the Honorable Daniel W. Yohannes, CEO of the Millennium Challenge Corporation, to lead the delegation. Other members of the Presidential Delegation included the Honorable Lewis Lukens, United States Ambassador to Senegal and to Guinea-Bissau; the Honorable Johnnie Carson, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs; and General Carter Ham, Commander, United States Africa Command.

During their stay, the delegation met with President Macky Sall and transmitted greetings and congratulations to him on behalf of President Obama and the American people. They also talked about shared commitments to good governance, economic development, stability and security in the region.

The members of the delegation also attended a meeting of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on the situation in Mali and held bilateral talks with the presidents of Cote d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Liberia, and Benin.

During the visit, Mr. Yohannes met with Senegal's staff of the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) as well as stakeholders of the compact; he discussed with them the progress made on the compact thus far.

As for General Carter Ham, he spoke with the Chief of Staff of Senegal’s Armed Forces, General Abdoulaye Fall to discuss military cooperation between the U.S. and Senegal.

To recall for our readers, President Obama, in his March 26 statement to Senegal, said that he looks forward to building “productive ties with President-elect Sall, while deepening the long-standing bonds between the United States and the Senegalese people.”  The statement continued that “the United States looks forward to maintaining its strong partnership and close engagement with the people and government of Senegal to continue to strengthen democracy, peace, and prosperity in the region."