After his departure from the presidency of the Republic, Macky Sall does not intend to do as his predecessors have done. The Head of State promises to remain in Senegal after the February 2024 elections, and to be available to his successor should the latter need his advices.

President Sall talks about his future after leaving the presidency of the Republic. Asked yesterday at the Invest in Senegal Forum about his life after leaving office, Macky Sall replied: « I have chosen not to run again for the presidency of the Republic. But what is certain is that I will be at the disposal of the future President of the Republic if he needs my advice. If he doesn’t, I’ll take a rest and do something else. I think there are a lot of things to do after the presidency of the Republic. » Sometimes, the Head of State points out, « heads of state leave the continent after their service ». But as far as he is concerned, President Sall promises that he will not leave the continent. « I can tell you that. I will stay in Senegal, in Africa, that’s for sure. As for the rest, time will tell, » he assured.

His predecessors, Abdoulaye Wade, Abdou Diouf and Léopold Sédar Senghor, left Senegal after leaving the presidency of the Republic to settle in France.

As for the future of his major projects, he believes that « what follows should be of the same timeline, i.e. recognising what is positive. But every President has his mark. The future President will always be able to make his contribution. In this regard, Macky recalled that when he became President of Senegal, he kept all positive things that his predecessor, Abdoulaye Wade, had done. « He had projects like the Case des tout-petits, and we strengthened them. He had the Sésame project, which was the support plan for the elderly, and we strengthened it. He started the Blaise Diagne International Airport in Diass at 30%, and I finished it. I gave him the name of the Stade du Sénégal, which is opposite the International Conference Centre named after President Abdou Diouf », said Macky Sall.

For Baïdy Agne, it is still too early for President Sall to talk about his future. As the President of the National Employers’ Council (CNP) explains, there are a number of constraints to be removed before President Sall leaves. « We’ve talked about positioning Dakar as an attractive city, which we’ve done in terms of reforms and investment. Nevertheless, there are constraints that need to be removed. Mr President, you have an enormous amount of work to do, in particular to remove the constraints linked to taxation and the very restrictive regulations. There are many things we need to continue improving to make our environment even more attractive », pleaded Baïdy Agne.

At the Council of Ministers meeting on Wednesday 5 July 2023, Macky Sall laid great emphasis on the completion of his flagship projects and worksites. He asked « the government to stay on task, on the ground, to finalise priority projects ». To this end, he has asked the Prime Minister to present him with a « government action plan for the next 6 months (July to 31 December 2023) at the next Council of Ministers, with social and territorial equity programmes (family security grants, Pudc, Puma, Promovilles, Pacasen urban and rural, etc.) and rapid solutions to promote training, apprenticeships, entrepreneurship and youth employment among the priorities ».

By Dialigué FAYE / dialigue@lequotidien.sn

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