Highlights: Bassirou Diomaye Faye, 44, is to be inaugurated as president of Senegal today. He is the youngest president in the history of the country and the African continent. Faye succeeds Macky Sall, 62, who led the country of 18 million inhabitants for twelve years. Lowering the cost of living, fighting corruption and working towards food security are some of the priority projects listed by Faye during his first public statement after his victory. But his main challenge, according to several analysts, will be “ job creation ”

In Senegal, while the youngest president in the history of the country and the African continent, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, 44, must be inaugurated today, the expectations of the Senegalese are numerous.…

Senegal: D-day for Bassirou Diomaye Faye, at the dawn of major challenges for the country

In Senegal, while the youngest president in the history of the country and the African continent, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, 44, is to be inaugurated today, the expectations of the Senegalese are numerous. Carried to the presidency by the desire for change of 54.3% of voters who elected him in the first round, he will face considerable challenges upon his inauguration. What will his priorities be and how will he proceed?

President-elect Bassirou Diomaye Faye with outgoing president Macky Sall, at the presidential palace in Dakar on March 28, 2024. AFP - -

By: RFI Follow

The youngest president of

Senegal

, the left-wing pan-Africanist

Bassirou Diomaye Faye

, elected on the promise of breaking with the system in place, takes oath on Tuesday April 2 after a lightning rise, facing challenges as considerable as the hopes placed in him . Never elected before, at the age of 44 he became the fifth president of the West African country since independence in 1960.

The investiture ceremony is scheduled for late morning in Diamniadio, near Dakar. Bassirou Diomaye Faye succeeds for five years Macky Sall, 62, who led the country of 18 million inhabitants for twelve years and maintained strong relations with the West and France. Several heads of state, including representatives of the Sahel military juntas, are expected (read box below).

The transfer of power between MM. Sall and Faye will then take place at the presidential palace in Dakar.

This alternation at the polls, the third in the history of Senegal, marks the end of a three-year standoff between Macky Sall and the winning duo of the presidential election of March 24: Bassirou D. Faye and the one who, disqualified , finally dubbed him, Ousmane Sonko.

Hailed

by Paris, Washington and the African Union, his election, celebrated by jubilant crowds, was preceded by three years of tensions and unrest which left dozens of people dead. Senegal, known as an island of stability in West Africa, went through a new crisis in February when President Sall decreed the postponement of the presidential election, deepening mistrust between part of the population and its leaders.

Economic challenges

Brought to power by the Senegalese desire for change, he will have to face significant challenges. Lowering the cost of living, fighting corruption and working towards food security are some of the priority projects listed by Bassirou Diomaye Faye during his first public statement after his victory. Ambitious measures which will require substantial resources from the State. In his program, Bassirou Diomaye Faye also promises to reestablish economic “

sovereignty

”. With the renegotiation of oil and gas contracts, for example or fishing agreements or even working to leave the CFA franc in the coming years and invest in agriculture to get closer to food self-sufficiency. All while reassuring international donors of Senegal's intentions to remain a secure and reliable ally.

But its main challenge, according to several analysts, will be “

job creation

” in a country where two out of three Senegalese are under 35 and where the unemployment rate officially stands at 20%. “

Resolving the unemployment problem will take time and will not be easy

,” analyzes economist Mame Mor Sene. Because “

it is the entire structure of the economy that must be modified

”. Investing in the industrial sector, for example, while the Senegalese economy is based more on services.

The new president will have to meet the expectations of the population in a difficult economic context. Inflation remains high, growth has slowed significantly since the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine. Senegal is also one of the most indebted countries on the continent. With a debt of around 75% of GDP, Senegal is already the 12th most indebted country on the continent and margins are therefore limited.

Read alsoSenegal: the economic priorities of the new elected president Bassirou Diomaye Faye

01:16

[Report] Job creation and the fight against inflation: the priorities of the Senegalese

What sources of income to meet priorities?

But according to economist Abdou Kane, most of the measures proposed in Bassirou Diomaye Faye's program will not necessarily be extremely expensive. For the new regime, it will first be a matter of reorienting priorities. Namely less spending on major infrastructure as was the case under Macky Sall, with projects like the TER or the BRT, the rapid urban bus.

Several avenues for mobilizing additional resources are also mentioned. First of all, important tax reforms, such as the elimination of numerous exemptions but also reinforced control of the payment of taxes by foreign companies.

The fight against corruption, one of Bassirou Diomaye Faye's key promises, could also make it possible to free up several billion additional CFA francs each year. Even if, according to specialists, this fight will take place in the long term.

Finally, the Senegalese state will also be able to count on a better business climate. Political tensions in recent years have slowed many investments. The upcoming exploitation of gas and oil could also bring in up to a billion euros per year for the country. But she was very late.

Finally, the young president is eagerly awaited on his government.

Who to compose it

? What place will his mentor and party leader Ousmane Sonko hold, who was to be a candidate in his place if he had not been prevented from doing so by a court conviction?

The Malian, Nigerien and Burkinabe juntas present at the inauguration

With our correspondent in Dakar,

Serge Daniel

Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, three Sahel countries which slammed the door of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), will have representatives in Dakar this Tuesday, April 2 for the handover of power. Mali and Burkina will be represented by the presidents of the transitional parliaments, respectively Malick Diaw and Ousmane Bougouma. As for Niger, where there is no transitional parliament yet, we assure you that Niger's chair at the ceremony will not remain empty.

These invitations and the responses given by these countries delight this senior ECOWAS official who will be at the ceremony. “

Mali, Niger and Burkina have their place among us, and there is always room for dialogue

,” explains this source. The new Senegalese authorities could even facilitate this dialogue so that Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso reconsider their decisions to leave the regional organization. But by coming to Dakar, the representatives of the three countries know that they will also meet a lot of people. The opportunity to send messages.

Among the other guests expected are the Nigerian Bola Ahmed Tinubu, current president of ECOWAS, the Mauritanian Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, the Gambian Adama Barrow, the Guinean Mamadi Doumbouya and the Bissau-Guinean Umaro Sissoco Embalo are announced, as are the Ivorian Vice-President Tiémoko Meyliet Koné and Rwandan Prime Minister Edouard Ngirente.

Senegal: D-day for Bassirou Diomaye Faye, at the dawn of major challenges for the country

Senegal: D-day for Bassirou Diomaye Faye, at the dawn of major challenges for the country

Economic challenges

What sources of income to meet priorities?

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