Switzerland and Senegal sign climate deal

Simonetta Sommaruga signs the work of graffiti artist Zeinixx at the Maison des Cultures Urbaines during a working visit in Ouakam, Dakar. Keystone / Anthony Anex

Environment Minister Simonetta Sommaruga has signed a climate agreement with Senegal, the third such agreement to compensate for CO2 emissions under the Paris Agreement.

Switzerland signed corresponding international agreements with Peru and Ghana around six months ago. The agreements allow Switzerland to offset CO2 emissions by financing projects in the partner countries.

“It is a great pleasure to celebrate the signing of the treaty,” Sommaruga told the media in Dakar on Tuesday. Senegal and Switzerland were now jointly at the forefront of developing new standards for bilateral agreements under the Paris Climate Agreement, she said.

Senegal had been hit hard by climate change, said Environment Minister Abdou Karim Sall, adding that the country was also focusing on renewable energy. For example, it had built the largest wind farm in West Africa. With investments from Switzerland, biogas plants are being installed on farms in Senegal, reducing the consumption of firewood and charcoal.

Outside the climate agreement, Senegal is one of the priority countries in the Swiss government’s Sub-Saharan Africa Strategy (2021 to 2024)External link. Switzerland intends to further expand the existing partnership, particularly in the areas of sustainability and digitalisation.

On Tuesday the Swiss delegation will travel to Accra, the capital of Ghana, where talks will focus on the implementation of the Paris Climate Agreement.