The Head of State, His Excellency Mr. Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar FAYE, presided over the weekly Council of Ministers meeting this Wednesday, January 29, 2025, at the Presidential Palace.
At the beginning of his communication, the President of the Republic spoke about the commemoration of the 145th edition of the Call of Seydina Limamou Laye Al Mahdi on January 30 and 31, 2025. He warmly congratulated the Khalif General of the "Layènes," Serigne Mouhamadou Makhtar Laye, and the faithful for their mobilization and prayers for a peaceful, stable, and progressive Senegal in solidarity.
He asked the Government to ensure, in close collaboration with the organizers, the smooth running of the religious events related to the Call in the concerned localities and sites (Yoff, Cambérène, Ngor).
In the same vein, the Head of State instructed the Government to support the proper organization of the Magal of Porokhane, scheduled for February 6, 2025, and to reinforce road safety and prevention measures. Furthermore, he paid tribute to the memory of the victims of the accident that occurred on Tuesday, January 28, 2025, on the national road (Bambey-Khombole axis).
He extended his condolences to the bereaved families and wished a speedy recovery to the injured. The President of the Republic then addressed the preventive management of the country's supplies and the stability of prices for essential consumer products in the context of the upcoming Ramadan and Lent. These two events are particular periods of great religious fervor.
They are also times of high consumption of staple goods and products (rice, sugar, oil, milk, flour, bread, etc.). In this special context, he asked the Minister of Industry and Trade to combat any stock retention and price speculation and to mobilize all necessary means for the sufficient and correct supply of markets with essential goods at regulated prices.
He invited the Minister of Industry and Trade and the Secretary of State for SMEs/SMIs to intensify the promotion of "local consumption" with significant involvement of the food industries and the acceleration of the execution of projects and initiatives for the in-situ transformation of national production.
To conclude this chapter, the Head of State reminded the Government of the urgency to restructure the country's supply systems for food products and hydrocarbons, taking into account Senegal's recent status as an oil and gas producer.
The exploitation of mineral resources in several localities of the country does not actively contribute to territorial development and does not benefit the local populations. This highlights the need for the State to prioritize the situation of populations living in mining areas. Therefore, the President of the Republic asked the Ministers in charge of Mines, Local Authorities, Finance, Economy, and Environment to conduct, under the supervision of the Prime Minister, a national assessment of the economic, social, and environmental impact of mining exploitation on the development of polarized localities.
He emphasized the urgency of reviewing the Support Fund for the Development of Local Authorities and investments in basic social infrastructure as prescribed by the Mining Code.
Moreover, the President of the Republic asked the Government to define a consensus mechanism with territorial actors to improve relations between mining companies and local populations through environmental preservation, the promotion of local employment, and better regulation of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
To consolidate transparency in the mining sector, he instructed the Prime Minister to evaluate the combined and complementary actions of the Société des Mines de fer du Sénégal oriental (MIFERSO) and the Société des Mines du Sénégal (SOMISEN). Additionally, he asked the Government to establish a National Gold Trading Office to satisfy the strong demand from our jewelers, within the framework of sovereignty over our resources.
The "Navétanes" competitions are a major source of public disorder, causing violent and tragic incidents in several localities of Senegal.
In this regard, the Head of State asked the Minister in charge of Sports to engage in consultations with all stakeholders to manage the competition schedule and, above all, to reform the "Navétanes" Movement to anchor it in the development of civic spirit and the promotion of constructive citizenship.
The Prime Minister informed the Council about the ongoing operational implementation of the Agenda Senegal 2050, focusing on refining the list of priority projects, programs, and reforms to be submitted for validation by the President of the Republic by mid-February 2025.
The Prime Minister also reported to the Council about the formalization, through a decree dated today, of the President of the Republic's directive regarding the monitoring, under his direction, of cooperation between Senegal and the countries and structures of the Near and Middle East and the rest of Asia. This cooperation currently involves approximately two hundred (200) partnerships or partnership projects in various fields with about fifteen countries and financial institutions.
Thus, a task force comprising several ministries, APIX, and FONSIS has been set up. It is responsible for evaluating ongoing partnerships, analyzing the files submitted to the Prime Minister regarding partnership intentions with these countries, and identifying opportunities for foreign direct or portfolio investments in Senegal from these countries.
Finally, the Prime Minister emphasized the urgency of taking charge of pre-archiving and transferring documentary funds to the National Archives by the ministries and their attached structures, as well as building a modern House of Archives. He also plans to establish an interministerial committee on archive governance, responsible for supervising the reconstitution of pre-archiving in ministries and structures according to established standards and coordinating the development of a national archive management strategy.
UNDER THE COMMUNICATIONS OF THE MINISTERS:
The Minister of Urban Planning, Local Authorities, and Territorial Development reported on the operational implementation of territorial poles.
UNDER LEGISLATIVE AND REGULATORY TEXTS,
The Council examined and adopted:
The draft decree applying Law No. 2020-01 of January 6, 2020, on the creation and promotion of startups in Senegal.
The Minister of Vocational and Technical Training, Government Spokesperson Amadou Moustapha Njekk SARRE