General

Stephen Harper begins African trip with $5 million for Senegal

DAKAR, Senegal – Prime Minister Stephen Harper kicked off his African trip by visiting a vocational training centre in the Senegalese capital of Dakar today.

Harper announced that Canada will contribute $5 million between 2012 and 2017 in order to improve employment opportunities for young people in Senegal.

Harper will be in Senegal until Friday when he leaves for the summit of French-speaking nations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Harper is expected to take part in a roundtable with business officials later today before meeting Senegalese President Macky Sall.

Harper will be joined at la Francophonie in Kinshasa by two federal ministers as well as Quebec Premier Pauline Marois and New Bruswick Premier David Alward.

Harper and the newly elected Marois are scheduled to have a private meeting on Saturday morning before the summit officially kicks off.

The summit ends Sunday and Harper will return to Ottawa on Monday.

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