The 100,000 homes initiated by Macky Sall are still on the agenda of those currently in power. But no one should ask them to publicly declare their adhesion.

Yesterday’s communiqué from the Council of Ministers returned to the policy of promoting social housing. In particular, it stated that “the Head of State has asked the Prime Minister to propose a revamped programme for the development of social housing in line with standards, incorporating fiscal, land and financial incentives that are sustainable and facilitate access to housing and to land and property ownership. This major reorientation of housing policy should encourage the construction of decent and appropriate housing, with the transparent provision of developed land, based on rigorously defined specifications, and the ramping up of the activities of the Land development and urban renovation company (Safru)”.

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A little further on, it is added that “the Head of State has also indicated the need to promote and support housing cooperatives in order to develop the construction of new housing, with in particular the contribution of public backers and funds dedicated to social housing, and a better involvement of the Deposits and Consignations Fund (Cdc), the Housing Bank of Senegal (Bhs) and other financial institutions in the housing sector’.

‘The President of the Republic has invited the Prime Minister to take all appropriate measures to further simplify the process of obtaining building permits in order to speed up the revival of housing construction, but also to optimise the positive impact of the strategic construction sector on the business environment and youth employment. He also asked the Prime Minister to hold an inter-ministerial council on housing with all the players involved, to ensure optimum implementation of the new policy for regulating rent and promoting social housing’.

On reading this press release, the aperists will find nothing to criticise in the government’s social housing policy. On the contrary, the most fervent supporters of President Macky Sall, such as his former minister Yoro Dia – one of the greatest critics of the current government – can only welcome the fact that President Diomaye Faye is continuing in the footsteps of the 100,000 housing units programme initiated by the former Head of State. Even if he won’t admit it.

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This is so obvious that the communiqué from the Council of Ministers went out of its way not to mention this programme, no doubt to avoid having to declare that it also had definite advantages, particularly where its implementation had gone smoothly.

Bravado or over-optimism? In the same press release, President Diomaye instructs his “Prime Minister to hold an inter-ministerial council on housing with all the players involved, in order to ensure optimum implementation of the new rent regulation policy”… Let’s hope that on this point he has learnt the lessons of Macky Sall’s successive failures.
By Mohamed GUEYE / mgueye@lequotidien.sn

  • Translation by Ndey T. SOSSEH