Senegal–United States: International Cargo Data Exchange Programme Launched

Senegal and the United States are beginning the implementation of an electronic data exchange programme dedicated to international cargo. Known as the Foreign Electronic Cargo Data Exchange Program (FECDEP), the initiative is intended to support the fight against illicit trafficking and transnational organised crime.

A meeting on this cooperation was held on 1 September 2026 between the Directorate General of Senegal Customs and a delegation from the United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP). It took place in the Mouhamadou Makhtar Cissé conference room at the Directorate General of Customs.

Sharing information on goods

FECDEP is designed to facilitate the flow of information between the two customs administrations concerning goods transported through international routes. Its stated objective is to improve the identification, assessment and joint monitoring of risks associated with cargo transport methods.

The two administrations also plan to use this data exchange to better detect threats that may affect border security and international supply chains. Against a backdrop of changing trade flows and increasingly sophisticated trafficking networks, data processing is presented as a tool for strengthening controls and anticipating risks.

An extension of the 2015 agreement

The programme is part of customs cooperation between Dakar and Washington. This cooperation is based in particular on the Mutual Customs Assistance Agreement signed by the two countries in 2015.

With FECDEP, the partnership is expected to give greater importance to information-sharing and data analysis in securing international cargo flows, as well as in combating cross-border criminal networks.