Laois Minister represents Ireland in Africa

Laois Minister Seán Fleming has traveled to Africa with President Michael D Higgins as part of his new job in the Department of Foreign Affairs.

The Laois Offaly TD joined the President his wife Sabina and an Irish delegation on State visit to Senegal. During the visit, Minister Fleming is joining President Higgins in meetings with the presidents of Senegal, Nigeria and Sierra Leone.

The Department of Foreign Affairs said Minister Fleming is accompanying President Higgins on the visit to take part in the Dakar 2 Summit, ‘Feed Africa: Food Sovereignty and Resilience’. It is the Minister’s first visit overseas since his appointment as Minister of State at the Department. 

The Castletown-based TD spoke about the experience.

"I am very pleased to accompany the President to this international conference in Dakar in Senegal. Or delegation was exceptionally well received and we just opened an embassy here in recent weeks. I was pleased to meet with Ministers from African countries as the theme of the conference is about increasing food production in Africa to feed Africa and not to be dependant on food imports," he told the Leinster Express / Laois Live.  

Minister Fleming was present when the President held a bilateral meeting on January 24 with President Sall in the Palais Présidentiel in Dakar. At their meeting, the two Heads of State discussed a range of topics relevant to the upcoming Dakar 2 Summit, including structural issues surrounding food security, climate change and climate justice, desertification, human rights, empowering women, and the importance of multilateral institutions in achieving these goals. MORE BELOW PICTURE.

In his role as Minister of State, Minister Fleming has responsibility for International Development and Diaspora. He previously served as Minister of State at the Department of Finance.

Following his meeting with President Sall, President Higgins and Minister Fleming traveled to Gorée Island, where they were accompanied by the Mayor of Gorée Island, Augustin Senghor, on a guided tour of the ‘Maison des Esclaves’ from the Curator of the Museum, Eloi Coly, and the Director of the Gorée Institute, Doudou Dia.

Áras an Úachtaráin says Gorée Island, the first UNESCO World Heritage Site in Africa, was a key slave-trading centre on the African coast from the 15th to 19th Century. ‘La Maison des Escalves’ and its Door of No Return is a museum and memorial dedicated to the victims of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, with previous visitors including President Nelson Mandela, Pope John Paul II and President Barack Obama.

Minister Fleming was touched by the visit.

"I visited the island of Goree which was a transfer station for four centuries for slaves to be transported to north and South America. An exceptionally moving experience and as an Irish person I immediately thought of all the Irish illegally transported to Van Diemen’s Land," he said.

Later this week, Minister Fleming will be present when the President will deliver two addresses at the Dakar 2 Summit – an opening address on Wednesday entitled “To Make a New Journey of Sufficiency – From Our Origin, Africa” and a closing speech on Friday entitled “Going Forward with Best Approaches”.

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The Summit will bring together an expected 25 African Heads of State and Government, Government Ministers and Governors of Central Banks, as well as multilateral organisations, NGOs, private sector stakeholders, academics and scientists. At the end of the Summit, it is expected that commitments will be made by Heads of States to Food and Agriculture Delivery Compacts to achieve zero hunger, as well as financing frameworks for them.

In addition to his addresses, President Higgins will hold a number of bilateral meetings at the Summit with fellow Heads of State, including the President of Nigeria Muhammadu Buhari and the President of Sierra Leone Julius Maada Bio, as well as with the President of the African Development Bank Dr Akinwumi Adesina and the President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development Alvaro Lario.  

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President Higgins will also attend a number of events hosted by individual Heads of State on the development of the Food and Agriculture Delivery Compacts for their countries.