The Prime Minister loudly demanded an account of the situation and management of the State’s buildings. The detailed answer he received seems to have cooled Ousmane Sonko down, as almost 3 weeks later, he doesn’t seem to want to mention it. Le Quotidien has discovered that many members of the current government are among the beneficiaries of the State’s largesse.

When Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko wanted to take stock of the State’s real estate assets in Dakar, he published a memo addressed to the director of the National Company for the Management and Operations of the built heritage of the State (Sogepa Sn). He asked Mr. Yaya Abdoul Kane to provide him with information concerning the provisional or definitive sale of buildings belonging to the State. The Head of Government also wished to be informed of the situation regarding long leases granted on State-owned buildings.

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Apparently, Ousmane Sonko couldn’t find a bone to pick, or perhaps the answers he received weren’t what he’d hoped for, because since the reply to his letter arrived on April 30, he hasn’t spoken on the subject. Unless, as with the constructions on Dakar’s Corniche, he has quietly decided to backtrack and put a veil over the documents. It’s true that the CEO of Sogepa says he is not informed about the final transfer of certain State land titles, as this was a field beyond his remit, he produced a memorandum detailing the justification for the “program to develop the State’s built heritage”, as well as the legal basis used to grant long leases, the architectural consistency of the development projects, and details of the projects for each building covered by the long leases.

This attention to detail showed that, while some of the property developers were reputed to be close to those in power at the time, Macky Sall, others, and not the least, could also claim a certain closeness to the leaders of Pastef, starting with Ousmane Sonko himself. With regard to the justification for the valuation operation, the CEO of Sogepa, who has since been replaced by tax inspector Elimane Pouye, explains that in accordance with the law, the company’s assets are valued at their fair market value, “to the strategic options of the 2019/2023 Priority Action Plan, the modernization of the State’s built assets, through the strong involvement of the private sector, remained an important lever in Senegal’s economic model for the coming years”. The Dg’s note adds that “this strategic orientation was motivated by the fact that the State of Senegal has a very large real estate portfolio, in a very advanced state of disrepair, whose upkeep, maintenance and renovation costs each year reach amounts that far exceed the financial capacities of the former State-owned buildings management agency (Agpbe), which oversaw it.

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However, there is an opportunity to transform this situation, currently seen as a constraint, into a real opportunity. In fact, these buildings, whose geographical location confers inestimable economic value hidden by their dilapidated condition, offer prospects for value enhancement enabling us to: renovate and to turn them into modern, functional infrastructures, enhancing the image of the areas in which they are located; participate in regulating the real estate market by developing the rental offer, with the effect of driving down real estate prices throughout Senegal and saving the Treasury considerable sums”. For clarification purposes, Agpbe became Sogepa Sn. The said Sogepa has signed leases with private companies, none of which exceed 99 years, and some of which do not exceed 50 years. Whereas, according to Yaya Abdoul Kane, the law allows for leases of up to 150 years. On this basis, the National Company “has granted, for and on behalf of the State, twenty (20) leases approved by decree between December 18, 2019 and March 18, 2024, of which nineteen (19) are development projects involving the demolition of existing buildings and the construction or renovation of new ones”. The situation of these 20 leases varies according to the site. Some will involve the construction of commercial and/or administrative buildings, while several others will involve the construction of buildings, with landings retroceded to the State. “The parts retroceded to the State are within the framework of the partnership, which is the basis of the policy of developing the State’s real estate assets. Since there is no transfer, there is no transfer price, as the leased property remains the property of the State of Senegal”.

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Sogepa estimates that 15 of these projects, for an overall investment of more than 200 billion, will add around 70,000 m2 of new, modern office space, corresponding to an annual rental potential of 8.4 billion francs. This fairly detailed inventory enabled the Head of Government to realize that several members of the current ruling team, or those close to them, are also helping themselves to the State’s real estate assets. For example, a person who was stripped of his official functions years ago, and who joined the ranks of power with arms, baggage and family, is still shamelessly occupying his official residence. Another has done even better, renting out her official residence to foreign tenants who are reputed to pay handsomely. In this country, the more things change, the more you get the same results.
By Mohamed GUEYE / mgueye@lequotidien.sn

  • Translation by Ndey T. SOSSEH