Until 2004 Australia's High Commissioner to
Nigeria was accredited to Senegal (along with
Ghana and
the Gambia).[2] Bob Whitty held this position from January 2001, followed by Iain Cameron Dickie from February 2004.[2] In 2004 an Australian High Commission was opened in Ghana,[3] and the High Commissioner was accredited to Senegal (along with
Burkina Faso,
Ivory Coast,
Guinea,
Liberia,
Mali,
Sierra Leone and
Togo).[4] Jonathan Richardson was the first High Commissioner in this role,[3] then William Williams held the position until February 2012, when he was replaced by Joanna Adamson.[4]
Senegal is currently accredited to Australia through its embassy in
Tokyo,
Japan.[5]
It was announced in May 2012 that Australia would establish an embassy in
Dakar,
Senegal,[6] which would be the first Australian embassy in a French-speaking African nation.[7] This promise helped to deliver African votes for Australia to obtain a seat on the
United Nations Security Council in October 2012.[8] In May 2013, the promise was indefinitely delayed due to budget cuts at the
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade under the
Gillard Government.[8]
^Australian Bureau of Statistics 2013, ‘Senegal – Merchandise Exports, Country and Country Groups, FOB Value’, table 14a,
International Trade in Goods and Services, Australia, cat. no. 5368.0, ABS, Canberra, December, column 191.
^
ab"Australia names new envoy to Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, Gambia", BBC Monitoring Asia Pacific, BBC Worldwide Limited, 12 February 2004
^"Shell says not to move on FAR's Senegal oil project", AAP Finance News Wire, Australian Associated Press, 24 August 2009
^"Australia to establish embassy in Senegal; Foreign Minister Bob Carr says Australia is establishing its first embassy in French-speaking West Africa.", ABC Premium News, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 9 May 2012