The Head of State, His Excellency Mr. Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar FAYE, presided over the weekly Council of Ministers meeting on Wednesday, July 30, 2025, at the Palace of the Republic.
At the outset of his address, the Head of State discussed the award ceremony for the laureates of the 2025 General Competition, which he will preside over on July 31, 2025. He congratulated the Government, particularly the Prime Minister, the Minister of National Education, the Minister of Vocational and Technical Training, the Minister in charge of Higher Education, and all components of the educational community, teachers, students, and parents for their collective efforts to ensure the smooth running of the academic year, including evaluations, examinations, and competitions, despite recurring challenges in their organization and security.
The Head of State extended his warm congratulations to the candidates who passed the Certificate of Completion of Elementary Studies (CFEE), the Baccalaureate, and the Middle School Completion Certificate (BFEM). He requested the Government to promptly evaluate the results of the academic year and draw pedagogical lessons from the 2025 examinations and competitions. This essential step will facilitate the necessary adjustments for a profound transformation of our educational system, aligned with the projected enrollment of students across various cycles: preschool, elementary, middle, and secondary.
Promoting a high-quality and excellent school system, rooted in our endogenous values, remains the foundation for enhancing national human capital and consolidating our sovereignty. To this end, the President of the Republic urged the Prime Minister to intensify the implementation of projects and programs for the construction and rehabilitation of school infrastructure and equipment, following a well-planned national agenda and mapping. On this point, he emphasized the urgent need to eliminate temporary shelters and scale up the Nation-Army High Schools for Quality and Equity (LYNAQE). Furthermore, he reminded the Ministers of National Education and Vocational and Technical Training, in particular, of the pressing need for a coherent and pragmatic review of curricula, or even a systematic overhaul of training programs. These must better integrate digital development and the evolving needs of the national economy.
The Head of State places paramount importance on the quality of teaching and learning provided. Hence, there is a need for continuous adaptation and ongoing reinforcement of teacher training and support, as well as teaching methods. To this effect, he instructed the Minister of National Education to establish measures to promote excellence in public schools through sustained development of quality control, including the modernization of the General Inspectorate of Education and Training, Regional Education Inspectorates, and Education and Training Inspectorates.
The President of the Republic addressed the issue of restructuring and revitalizing policies to promote youth employment. Indeed, at the end of each academic year and university cycles, a large influx of new graduates from vocational and technical training, Higher Institutes of Vocational Education (ISEP), universities, and public and private higher education institutions enters the job market. This underscores that vocational and technical training, socio-economic integration, and youth employment remain national priorities and even social emergencies. To this end, he requested the Prime Minister, the Minister of Labor, Employment, and Institutional Relations, and the Minister of Vocational and Technical Training to accelerate, with the involvement of all stakeholders, the implementation of the recommendations from the 4th Social Conference dedicated to Youth Employability and Employment. This includes, in particular:
- Restructuring, for greater proximity, effectiveness, and efficiency, the systems for training, support, and financing of youth entrepreneurship;
- Finalizing the development and initiating the implementation of the new National Employment Policy, in alignment with the National Development Strategy.
Regarding the monitoring of preparations for the Grand Magal of Touba, to be celebrated on Wednesday, August 13, 2025, the Head of State reminded the Government of the urgency to take all appropriate preventive measures in each relevant sector to ensure the optimal organization of this internationally significant religious event. He welcomed the inclusion of the Grand Magal of Touba in the National Intangible Heritage, paving the way for the continued valorization of our religious events in our history and in the process of anchoring an endogenous economy through the significant development of religious tourism. Finally, he invited the Prime Minister to oversee the relaunch of the modernization program for Senegal’s religious cities.
The President of the Republic addressed the issue of improving care for patients with kidney failure, which remains one of the major challenges of public health policy. He instructed the Government, with the support of the medical community and dedicated committees, to implement the most suitable solutions to sustainably improve the care of kidney failure patients across the entire national territory. Additionally, he directed the Government, particularly the Minister in charge of Health, to develop a proactive policy for the prevention and fight against kidney failure through effective public awareness campaigns.
As part of his agenda, the Head of State informed the Council that he will launch the 2025 National Tree Day reforestation activities on Saturday, August 2, 2025, in the Mbao classified forest. He will also visit Touba shortly for a courtesy call on the Khalifa General of the Mourides as part of the Grand Magal celebrations.
Under Legislative and Regulatory Matters,
The Council reviewed and adopted:
- The recovery plan presented by the Prime Minister;
- The draft law establishing the National Anti-Corruption Office;
- The draft law on the status and protection of whistleblowers;
- The draft law on access to information;
- The draft law on asset declaration.
Minister of Vocational and Technical Training, Government Spokesperson
Amadou Moustapha Njekk SARRE