The signing took place in the presence of His Excellency Mahammed Boun Abdallah Dionne, Prime Minister of Senegal, and Jean-Félix Paganon, French Ambassador to Senegal.
During an interview following the signing, His Excellency Macky Sall, President of the Republic of Senegal, expressed the importance of the new development, which is part of the country's drive to focus economic development through tourism, with the aim of making Senegal an international travel destination.
Club Med Saraba will be located in Nianing, a city 90km from Dakar on the Petite Côte. A 4-Trident family-oriented resort featuring a 5-Trident luxury space, open all-year-round, the resort will have a total of 358 rooms and suites culminating to 860 beds.
The project is expected to create more than 1,000 jobs, 400 of which will be direct jobs. Club Med is forecasting an estimated 30,000 customers every year, in addition to the 8,000 customers already traveling to Club Med Cap Skirring in the Casamance region, south of Senegal.
Club Med Saraba plans to partner with local Senegalese businesses on a number of local operations. Fresh produce for food and beverage operations will come from community gardeners, a partnership similar to the one Club Med Cap Skirring has with Agrisud. All land transport needs like airport transfers and location tours will also be subcontracted to local businesses.
The Club Med Saraba project is an investment worth €63-million, financed partly by private equity - 40% - through an investor pool. Alongside Club Med, which will hold 35%, other investors include:
Club Med Saraba is scheduled to open in 2017. It will serve both family travellers and couples with Club Med's pioneering all-inclusive offering.
