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DAKAR, Senegal — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau arrived in Senegal late Tuesday for an official visit that will test his commitment to gender equality with one of Canada’s closest francophone partners in Africa.

He was greeted at the airport near Dakar by Foreign Minister Amadou Ba.

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Trudeau’s visit includes a meeting with President Macky Sall and a moment of reflection at Goree Island, which was once a final African stop for some of the slaves being taken to the Americas.

Dalhousie University political science chair David Black, who studies Canada’s role in sub-Saharan Africa, says Senegal and Canada have long-standing links, mostly through their shared French language, that Trudeau can build upon.

Black notes Senegal is not without some significant human rights challenges — homosexuality is illegal and punishable by up to five years in prison for example — but it’s considered one of the most stable democracies on the continent.