In Thiès, the President of the Republic officially launched the 2026 edition of National Youth Week.
Held under the theme “Youth in the Rhythm of Olympism,” this edition marks a major revival after several years of interruption. It brings together more than a thousand young people from all fourteen regions, alongside numerous stakeholders from the educational, university, sports, and cultural sectors.
A moment of unity, talent promotion, and collective mobilization, this week fully recognizes youth as a central pillar of public action and the national project.
Just months ahead of the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, it forms part of a broader dynamic of preparation and engagement, driven by a generation called upon to play a decisive role in the country’s future.
Please find below the Address delivered by His Excellency the President of the Republic at the opening ceremony of National Youth Week 2026 – March 30, 2026. Only the spoken version shall be deemed authentic.
Mr. President of the National Assembly,
Mr. Prime Minister,
Madam Minister of Youth and Sports,
Ladies and Gentlemen, Members of the Government,
Mr. Governor of the Thiès Region,
Mr. Prefect of Thiès,
Mr. Mayor of the City of Thiès,
Ladies and Gentlemen, administrative, territorial, religious and traditional authorities,
My dear fellow citizens,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
But above all, dear young people,
In coming to Thiès today, I did not merely wish to preside over a ceremony. I wanted to be among you. To see your faces. To feel your energy. To grasp the full measure of what you represent.
It must be said clearly and without hesitation: the Senegal we are building will not be achieved without its youth. And it will not be achieved later. It is happening now.
Today, you are the most important force in our country through your numbers, your energy, and above all, through what you are capable of achieving.
When a nation relies so heavily on its youth, it must draw all the necessary conclusions. It must make youth the heart of its priorities, the center of its decisions, and the driving force of its action.
This is the choice we have made.
Over the past two years, we have undertaken a transformation aimed at restoring coherence, continuity, and effectiveness in public action. In this transformation, youth occupies a central place, because it determines the country’s future.
We have chosen to act on what matters most:
To improve training, so as to better prepare for working life.
To provide greater support, in order to encourage initiative and entrepreneurship.
To open up concrete opportunities in promising sectors.
But we have also sought to change our approach. Too often, youth is spoken about without being truly involved in decision-making. This must change.
That is why a structured framework is being put in place to enable young people to make their voices heard, contribute ideas, and directly take part in the policies that concern them. This mechanism will be operational in the coming months.
In the same spirit, we are investing in concrete levers.
Sport is one of them because it educates, structures, and reveals potential.
Community sports infrastructure is being rolled out across municipalities to broaden access to sports and allow our talents to emerge. Here in Thiès, a major step will be taken with the transformation of the existing center into a high-performance facility dedicated to preparing our elite athletes.
We are also continuing to strengthen spaces dedicated to youth, citizenship, training, and creativity throughout the country.
My dear young people,
The week we are opening today has a special significance.
It returns after several years of interruption. It regains its purpose: to bring people together, to showcase talent, and to create momentum.
Its theme, “National Youth Week in the Rhythm of Olympism,” carries strong meaning. It refers to values that must underpin any lasting ambition: respect, effort, self-improvement, and a sense of the collective.
And what I see here at the Lat-Dior Stadium is a powerful expression of this.
More than a thousand young people from all fourteen regions are present, alongside thousands of others mobilized around them—from the school, university, sports, and cultural sectors. A diversity of paths, but a shared determination to be here, together.
I wish to commend all those who have contributed to this edition, under the coordination of the Minister of Youth and Sports, Khady Diène Gaye, whom I congratulate for her commitment.
I also wish to commend the choice of the patron of this edition, Sadio Mané. Through his journey, his discipline, his commitment, and his humility, he embodies a standard of excellence that honors the entire Nation.
My dear young people,
In a few months, Senegal will host the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games an unprecedented event for our continent.
This event must be understood for what it truly is: an opportunity.
An opportunity to learn.
An opportunity to engage.
An opportunity to project yourselves into the future.
What will make the difference is how your generation seizes this moment.
My dear young people,
I want to speak to you with a sense of responsibility.
A country is not transformed by public policies alone. It is also transformed by the attitude of those who make it up:
A sense of effort,
Discipline,
Consistency,
Respect for shared rules.
These are the foundations that sustain a nation over time.
We will live up to our responsibilities. We will continue to act, invest, reform, and open up new opportunities.
But a crucial part depends on you:
What you do with your time,
What you do with your talents,
The standards you set for yourselves.
My dear young people,
The moment we are living through is demanding but full of promise.
It calls for clarity.
It calls for commitment.
It calls for confidence.
Confidence in this country and confidence in its youth.
It is on this confidence that we move forward.
Long live Senegal!
Long live its youth!
Thank you for your attention!