From the bustling streets of Paris to the communities of Massy and Creil, Alioune SARR, President of the Alliance pour le Sénégal, has been actively engaging the Senegalese diaspora in France. His mission: to forge a new national pact centered on robust territories, a dynamic diaspora, and unwavering sovereignty for Senegal.
During his recent European tour, Mr. SARR, who also leads the Andando Ngir Senegaal (APS/ANS) party, held numerous discussions with Senegalese residents across France. These gatherings served as a platform to articulate his vision for Senegal’s future and to strengthen the crucial bonds between the diaspora and the nation’s diverse regions.
Mr. SARR personally connected with his compatriots, visiting them in their homes and community centers. He made a notable stop at the Foyer Les Mûriers in Paris’s 20th arrondissement, and later in Massy, within the Essonne department. There, he engaged with many Senegalese citizens, delving into the nation’s challenges, the diaspora’s expectations, and the vast development opportunities that Senegal’s territories present.
These direct interactions allowed the Alliance pour le Sénégal President to attentively listen to the concerns of Senegalese living abroad. Crucially, he also gathered their innovative proposals for enhancing Senegal’s economic, social, and territorial advancement.
Significant turnout in Creil
The tour continued its impactful journey to Creil, located in the Oise department of Hauts-de-France, where Senegalese compatriots demonstrated remarkable mobilization. They rallied enthusiastically around the progressive vision championed by the Alliance pour le Sénégal.
The event was expertly chaired by Ms. Amy Faye, the Alliance pour le Sénégal’s political leader in France. She successfully brought together Senegalese from Creil and surrounding areas to discuss President Alioune SARR’s directives and the party’s comprehensive political agenda.
In her address, Ms. Faye commended President SARR’s steadfast commitment to the diaspora. She underscored the vital importance for Senegalese living abroad to participate fully in shaping the Senegal of tomorrow.
The diverse audience, comprising community leaders, workers, students, entrepreneurs, and Senegalese families, showed keen interest in the proposals. Discussions revolved around territorial development, productive investment, and the pursuit of economic sovereignty.
A powerful message to the political class
Throughout the dialogues held during this tour, Alioune SARR reiterated his profound conviction that Senegal requires a refreshed governance model. This model, he argued, must be rooted in open dialogue, shared responsibility, and collective nation-building.
For the APS President, the critical stakes of national development transcend partisan divides, demanding a unified mobilization of all of the nation’s vital forces. “We may be political adversaries,” he declared, “but we must never be enemies of the Republic.”
He thus urged all political stakeholders to prioritize constructive solutions, the national interest, and sustained economic development above any factional disputes or struggles for power.
The limitations of a centralized approach
A key takeaway from this extensive tour was the urgent need to re-evaluate public policies, grounding them firmly in the realities of Senegal’s diverse regions.
Alioune SARR posited that decades of overly centralized development have revealed their inherent limitations, primarily by concentrating investments and opportunities within a select few major urban centers. “When everything is decided at the center, the territories merely wait,” he observed. “When the territories decide and take action, the country truly progresses.” He firmly believes that Senegal must now empower its local communities to foster more equitably distributed and inclusive growth.
Dakar and the territories: a unified national ambition
Rejecting any notion of opposition between Dakar and the rest of the nation, Alioune SARR articulated a vision founded on the inherent complementarity of all territories. “Dakar is the heart of Senegal, but the territories are its lungs,” he stated eloquently. “No country can breathe fully with only one lung. It is together, through the complementary strength of all our territories, that we will build a sovereign, prosperous, and balanced Senegal.” He emphasized that Senegal’s development can only be sustainable if each region is fully empowered to leverage its unique resources, generate employment, and attract vital investments.
“When Dakar beats stronger, and the territories breathe better,” he concluded, “it is all of Senegal that thrives.”
Notto Diobasse Smart City: a model for regional transformation
Drawing on the successful experience of Notto Diobasse Smart City, Alioune SARR presented this initiative as a tangible illustration of the transformative potential within Senegal’s regions.
He asserted that Senegal’s future development hinges on establishing regional hubs for production, innovation, training, industrialization, and services. “Senegal will not develop from Dakar towards its territories,” he affirmed. “It will develop from the territories towards Dakar.”
For the APS President, every single territory must evolve into a driving force for national development, contributing significantly to the collective creation of wealth.
Land as development capital
During his engagements, Alioune SARR also underscored the imperative to shift perspectives on land ownership and utilization.
He views land as a strategic capital asset that must be optimized for the benefit of both present and future generations.
“A hectare holds no value simply because it is sold; its true worth lies in its development,” he explained. Comparing the sale of undeveloped land to the export of raw materials, he passionately advocated for a strategy of transformation that generates employment and wealth.
“Prosperous nations do not merely sell their resources; they transform them,” he declared.
“Selling land is consuming the future. Developing land is building the future.”
The diaspora: a strategic development partner
Throughout his tour, Alioune SARR consistently highlighted the pivotal role the diaspora must play in Senegal’s development journey. He issued a heartfelt call to Senegalese living abroad, urging them to become more active investors, builders, and integral partners in territorial development.
“The Diaspora is not an ATM,” he emphasized. “The Diaspora is an open-air ministry of development.”
He firmly believes that Senegal’s future prosperity rests on a robust alliance among its territories, the diaspora, its youth, women, entrepreneurs, and local communities.
A new national pact
Concluding his impactful tour, the President of the Alliance pour le Sénégal issued a compelling call for the establishment of a new national pact, structured upon three fundamental pillars:
- Strong and empowered territories;
- A fully mobilized diaspora;
- Asserted economic sovereignty.
The significant mobilization witnessed in Paris, Massy, and Creil undeniably confirms the growing interest among Senegalese abroad in issues of territorial development and their profound desire to actively contribute to Senegal’s ongoing transformation. President Alioune SARR concluded his tour with a powerful statement: “We have not come to manage the future; we have come to build it.”
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