From January 26 to February 16, 2026, the Plastic Odyssey vessel made a stopover in Dakar for the second time in three years. These three weeks of activities brought together over 7,500 people—authorities, entrepreneurs, associations, students, and the general public—around a shared challenge: structuring a local plastic recycling industry in Senegal.
Strong Institutional Recognition
The stopover enjoyed unprecedented political visibility. On February 10, Abdourahmane Diouf, Minister of the Environment and Ecological Transition, visited the vessel docked at the Autonomous Port of Dakar. He toured the onboard recycling workshop, the zero-waste laboratory, and the training space.
"Plastic Odyssey does us the honor of returning to Senegal. This demonstrates the commitment of its promoters and the urgency of fighting the plastic threat. We can simultaneously combat plastic pollution and create jobs for our youth."
Benoît Blancher, Director of Plastic Odyssey Factories Senegal, reiterated the project's core mission:
"Our role is to provide concrete solutions, technologies, and support in collaboration with the government and the local ecosystem."
Christine Fages, French Ambassador to Senegal, also paid an official visit on board, underscoring the French cooperation's interest in the Plastic Odyssey Factories model in West Africa.
New Strategic Partnerships
The stopover provided an opportunity to formalize commitments with six major players in Senegal's economic and institutional landscape: SGBS, COJOJ, AGL, Auchan, Jan de Nul, and DP World. These partnerships cover complementary areas—financing, logistics, collection, and awareness—and strengthen the project's operational foothold in the region.
An Action-Packed Program and Unprecedented Turnout
- 600 children engaged in onboard awareness sessions
- 500 visitors welcomed aboard
- 12 entrepreneurs trained in the Onboard Lab
- 250 attendees at the Launch Conference
- 250 participants in the Big Clean-Up alongside COJOJ (10 associations)
- 130 attendees at the documentary screenings
- 40 guests at the VIP Partners Cocktail
- 1,500 visitors to the "Treasure Trunks" exhibition
Total stopover turnout: Over 7,500 people
The program also included a dedicated workshop for the CSR departments of major corporations, as well as a training session with engineers and professors from the Dakar FabLab.
A Milestone Stopover and a Tangible Local Footprint
This stopover is not a starting point; rather, it marks a new stage of maturity. Since the vessel's first visit to Dakar, Plastic Odyssey Factories has built a sustainable operational hub with the Sunu Plastic Odyssey workshop, which currently employs 30 people and processes locally collected plastic. This site is concrete proof that the model works: a local, profitable facility deeply rooted in the Senegalese economic fabric.
The partnerships forged during this port of call, the 12 entrepreneurs trained on board, and the institutional momentum generated with the Ministry of the Environment and French cooperation serve to accelerate what is already in motion. The Sunu project, driven by Plastic Odyssey Factories in Dakar, is leveraging these strong foundations to scale up operations.
