Last night in Kolda, the President of the Republic met with the region’s economic stakeholders in a direct exchange focused on the real conditions shaping economic activity, investment, and value creation across the territory.
The discussions brought to light several critical priorities: dredging the river to improve access to farmland; resuming work on the airport to support economic and tourism activities; promoting the region’s historical heritage, including several sites that remain to be mapped; improving access to financing; advancing agro-industrial processing; addressing the challenges faced by livestock breeders; combating bushfires through ecological monitoring committees; strengthening training opportunities for young people and women; and regularizing land tenure.
Through this exchange, the outlines of an ambitious territorial development agenda emerged. A region moves forward when its land is accessible, when its producers can process and add value, when its entrepreneurs can invest, when its youth can acquire skills, and when its resources no longer remain untapped promises.
The President of the Republic reaffirmed the essential role of economic stakeholders in advancing communities, stressing that the country’s transformation will also be driven by those who produce, innovate, invest, and generate economic activity close to local realities. It was also indicated that tailored support will be made available to farmers to facilitate their activities.
This meeting did more than identify a list of needs. It highlighted what must now guide action: removing the barriers that hinder initiative, better connecting potential to productive investment, and creating, over time, the conditions for stronger and more sustainable growth for Kolda and for the South.