Prime Minister Amadou Ba, who chaired the opening ceremony of the 4th International Exhibition of Housing, and Construction in Senegal (Sen Habitat), said that new housing applications are estimated at 15,000 thousand per year.It takes 15 thousand housing units per year to meet new demands in the sector where a gap of 350 thousand homes is noted.Prime Minister Amadou Ba made this known on Thursday, at the official launch of the 4th International Exhibition of Housing and Construction in Senegal (Sen Habitat).The inaugural ceremony of this year’s edition, which focuses on the theme: « New dynamics of large-scale production of sustainable and affordable housing in Senegal: strategies and perspectives, » was held at the AbdouDiouf International Conference Center in Diamniadio (Cicad).« Two flagship projects of the PSE, namely the Zero Slum Program embedding the 100,000 homes project, and the Program for the development and promotion of urban poles, are all initiatives taken by the President of the Republic, MackySall, to reduce the gap of 350,000 homes on one hand. On the other hand,to satisfy the new housing demands estimated at 15,000 units per year, » insisted the PM in his inaugural address.It will be, according to Mr. Ba, through the Sen habitat 2022, to lead the country towards a new trajectory in the field.« This 4th edition of Sen habitat is an opportunity to exchange in depth, strategies for the large-scale production of affordable housing for all.Experts from Senegal, Africa, Turkey will exchange on good practices and successful examples of successful housing promotion policies around the world, » he noted.« The case of Senegal will be in the light of all productions, with an uncompromising examination of ongoing projects and programs for a better projection towards the future with regard to new challenges, » explained the head of government, indicating that the reflections, which will be initiated in the thematic workshops, cannot thus obscure the central and pressing problems.These are namely, believe the PM, land, development, housing financing, tax measures…Turkey, represented by its ambassador, Ahmet Kavas, is the country of honour for Sen habitat 2022.A country that has shown its expertise in Senegal with the realisation of several infrastructure.The choice of Turkey is justified in particular by the country’s proven expertise in affordable housing policy,«  said Amadou Ba.« A friend of Senegal with proven experience in the field of mass construction, Turkey, the country of honour of this edition of Sen habitat, maintains a dynamic cooperation with Senegal in several fields and in particular in the field of construction, » continued the PM, magnifying « the exemplarity of cooperation » between the two countries.For the Turkish ambassador, the success of his country’s construction companies is to be found in the speed of execution, quality and workmanship.In his speech, he urged Senegal and other African countries to refer to the know-how of Turkish companies, which have managed to carve out a place for themselves at the global level.Among the 250 largest construction companies in the world, 40 are Turkish.« We had 4 companies in 2003, the success of Turkey is an example for Senegal and other African countries, » he insisted.Mr. Kavas recalled that the presence of Turkish construction companies in Africa dates back to 1972, in Libya.He said that to date, they have acquired more than 11,000 construction projects in 131 countries, worth nearly $500 billion.By Alioune Badara NDIAYE (Correspondent) / abndiaye@lequotidien.sn

  • Translation by Ndey T. SOSSEH / Serigne S. DIAGNE