The Head of State, His Excellency Mr. Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar FAYE, presided over the weekly meeting of the Council of Ministers at the Presidential Palace on Wednesday, February 5, 2025.
At the beginning of his address, the President of the Republic thanked the people who mobilized during the 9th edition of the "Setal Sunu Réew" Days. He then asked the Government to conduct a general evaluation of the implementation of the "Setal Sunu Réew" concept and its sustainable appropriation by the population. It is important to further integrate priority school targets, including students (from schools and daara), as well as neighborhood councils and associations supported by the ongoing mobilization of public structures and services such as SONAGED and all volunteers.
Senegal must promote a culture of cleanliness and preservation of the living environment. Therefore, the President of the Republic asked the Prime Minister to propose a new format for the National Citizen Mobilization Day, which will be launched during the festivities on April 4, 2025, marking the 65th anniversary of Senegal's accession to international sovereignty.
This new format of citizen engagement should be a major focus of the National Citizenship Promotion Program under the coordination of the Prime Minister. The Head of State addressed the issue of the teacher's role and the school's role in strengthening citizenship and national construction. The realization of the vision of a sovereign, just, and prosperous Senegal is based on exemplary patriotic commitment, especially within the school environment.
He asked the Minister of National Education and the Minister of Vocational and Technical Training to work with all actors of the educational community and the Ministry of Armed Forces to strengthen civic instruction in curricula and the dissemination of values of discipline, solidarity, and excellence in the educational system. He urged the Government to ensure the optimal functioning of schools and the continuous supervision of students and learners in the context of the development of digital technology and artificial intelligence.
The President of the Republic paid special tribute to all generations of teachers who have tirelessly worked to establish quality education for students and contribute to the influence of our educational system. He praised the essential role and fundamental position of teachers in enhancing the national human capital. The grateful Nation will organize, on February 6, 2025, under the auspices of the Ministry of National Education, the ceremony for the Grand Prize of the Head of State for the Teacher, which the President of the Republic will preside over.
The Head of State took the opportunity of this Council to commend the remarkable work of writers and the vitality of national literary production in all fields, which constitutes an invaluable heritage for Senegal. As the Chief Protector of the Arts and Letters of Senegal, he reminded the Government of the imperative to promote books and reading in the educational system and higher education.
To this end, he asked the Minister of Youth, Sports, and Culture, and the Secretary of State for Culture, in collaboration with the Ministers in charge of National Education, Vocational and Technical Training, Higher Education, Territorial Communities, Communication, and Digital Technology, to intensify efforts to promote books and reading, particularly national and African publications. He also indicated the urgency of restructuring and strengthening the Publishing Assistance Fund and developing an innovative policy for the modernization of libraries and reading rooms in schools, universities, and higher education institutions, in light of the opportunities and innovations of digital technology promoting the rise of e-books.
Furthermore, he invited the Minister in charge of Culture to mobilize the necessary assistance and partnerships to better support writers' associations. These public utility organizations should be more involved in the implementation of public policies, particularly those related to the National Transformation Agenda by 2050. He asked the Minister and the Secretary of State in charge of Culture to prepare, with all Senegalese writers, the organization of a National Book and Reading Forum by the end of June 2025, with the participation of all stakeholders.
The anchoring of the social and solidarity economy in national life remains a factor in mobilizing the population and a powerful catalyst for success in the implementation of public policies. It means that the national policy in this area should promote the transformation of production and financing systems, as well as the intensification of the creation of income-generating activities and sustainable, decent jobs in all localities of the country.
To this end, the President of the Republic invited the Prime Minister to hold, by the end of March 2025, an interministerial council on the social and solidarity economy to propose a new ambitious roadmap. He also indicated to the Minister of Microfinance and Social and Solidarity Economy the need to continue actions aimed at accelerating the procedures for obtaining approvals.
The reforms for the development of agricultural and peasant cooperatives initiated by the Minister of Agriculture and the Secretary of State in charge of peasant organizations should also be supported. Finally, the Head of State congratulated the Prime Minister, the Minister of Water and Sanitation, and the entire Government for all the efforts made, which enabled the launch, on Monday, February 3, 2025, in Fass Touré, in the Kébémer department, of phase 2 of the important rural drinking water supply project.
In his address, the Prime Minister informed the Council of the completion of an essential stage of the operational implementation of the Senegal 2050 Agenda, namely the development of the list of projects, programs, and reforms for the period 2025-2029, submitted for validation by the President of the Republic.
The strategic breakdown work resulted in a global portfolio of two hundred seventy-six (276) projects and programs, of which sixty (60) are considered priorities, as well as around forty structural reforms to be undertaken. He highlighted the major challenge of agile and structured implementation of this agenda. In this context, the Prime Minister highlighted the coordination to be ensured with approximately five hundred (500) ongoing projects and programs.
This number emerged from the work he requested to be carried out before any investment expenditure in the first quarter of 2025. An analysis of these projects by the Working Group revealed concerning findings regarding certain projects, including:
A lifespan exceeding five or even ten years
Low completion rates below 20% despite long implementation periods
The absence of investment expenditure in favor of operating costs
Overlapping objectives across several ministries
Lack of regular reporting to the technical supervisory body for projects operated by entities in the semi-public sector.
The Prime Minister thus asked the Working Group to continue its analyses by proposing rationalization measures, including mergers within projects and programs of the 2025-2029 five-year plan and eliminations.
Finally, the Prime Minister invited the Minister of Finance and Budget to ensure strict compliance by the liquidators of the High Council of Local Authorities (HCCT) and the Economic, Social and Environmental Council (CESE) with the legal framework governing the liquidation of these entities. In this context, he asked the Minister, in collaboration with his colleagues in charge of Public Service and Labor, and the Secretary-General of the Government, to submit to him, as soon as possible, the available options concerning the treatment of personnel.
Under the communications from ministers:
The Minister of African Integration and Foreign Affairs presented the progress report on the preparation of the 2025 Hajj pilgrimage
The Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty, and Livestock presented the status of the 2024 groundnut marketing campaign and the process of revising and updating the Agro-silvo-pastoral Orientation Law (LOASP)
The Minister and Secretary-General of the Government presented the priority programs and projects for 2025-2029.
Under individual measures, the President of the Republic made the following decisions:
Under the Ministry of African Integration and Foreign Affairs:
Mr. Moustapha NDOUR, Principal Foreign Affairs Advisor, payroll number 514 533/C, formerly Ambassador of Senegal to Mali, is appointed Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Senegal to His Excellency Mr. Frank-Walter STEINMEIER, President of the Federal Republic of Germany, replacing Mr. Cheikh Tidiane SALL.
Mr. Ibrahima SECK Cheikh Tidiane SAL, Principal Foreign Affairs Advisor, payroll number 518 954/D, formerly First Counselor at the Embassy of Senegal in Malaysia, is appointed Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Senegal to Oman, to His Majesty Haitham Bin TARIQ Al Saïd, Sultan of Oman, replacing Mr. Serigne Aliou DEME.
Under the Ministry of Industry and Trade:
Mr. Seydina Aboubacar Sadikh NDIAYE, Commissioner of Economic Investigations, payroll number 604457/D, Special Advisor at the Prime Minister's Office, is appointed Secretary General of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, replacing Mr. Makhtar LAKH;
Mr. Assane Diankha, Commissioner of Economic Investigations, is appointed Secretary General of the Senegalese Agency for the Promotion of Exports (ASEPEX), replacing Mrs. Ndèye Oumou NDIAYE.
Under the Ministry of Fisheries, Maritime and Port Infrastructure:
Mr. Babacar GUEYE, Exceptional Class Professor, Specialist in Maritime Law, is appointed Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the National Maritime Affairs Agency (ANAM), replacing Mrs. Sokhna BENGA, who is called to other duties.
Under the Ministry of Family and Solidarity:
Mr. Gade Kounta, Civil Engineering Engineer, Manager of Public Infrastructure, is appointed National Coordinator of the Community Development Emergency Program (PUDC), replacing Mr. Cheikh DIOP;
Mr. Serigne NDIAYE, Major Civil Engineering Works Engineer, is appointed National Coordinator of the Urban Modernization Program (PROMOVILLES), replacing Mrs. Aissatou Diokhané Sow.
Under the Ministry of Communication, Telecommunications, and Digital Technology:
Mr. Mamadou Lamine SENE, Engineer in Electronics and Digital Technologies, is appointed Chairman of the Steering Committee of the Telecommunications Universal Service Development Fund (FDSUT), replacing Mr. Abdoul Ahad Ndiaye;
Mr. Boubacar Roger THIAM, Expert in Financial Engineering and Data Science, is appointed Director of the Promotion of Digital Economy and Partnership, replacing Mrs. Bitilokho Ndiaye.
The Minister of Vocational and Technical Training, Government Spokesperson, Amadou Moustapha Njekk SARRE.