Senegal: The President of the Republic Macky Sall, goes out to meet the inhabitants of northern Senegal in an Economic Tour

The Senegalese President Macky Sall has completed, on Saturday, June 19, a visit that lasted for a week in the northern part of Senegal. The visit was qualified by the officials as an economic tour. During this weeklong journey, the president has made several stops in many different localities of the regions of St. Louis and Matam where he inaugurated several health, and educational facilities; roads and bridges, and laid the foundation of several infrastructures projects designed to help the most remote parts and enclaved localities of these regions to be connected to the rest of the country. In some localities, the president handed over agricultural equipment to the local farmers,

In Ndioum (St. Louis region), President SALL launched a project on the rural electrification program which will be completed in four months as part of the Community Emergency Program (PUDC). The electric backbone made up of a medium-voltage line will cover an area of 170 km between Ndioum and Linguere (Louga region), and once completed will provide light to thirty-seven villages.

In the commune of Podor, the president inaugurated the Open Digital Space (ENO) of the Virtual University of Senegal (UVS). Open Digital Space “Espace Numérique Ouvert (ENO)” is a corresponding initiative of the Virtual University of Senegal. UVS is a public digital university, which aims to provide Senegalese youth with equitable access to higher education. UVS takes into consideration the rapid trends in ICT, which will require new ways of equipping students in an era of the digital age. Learning at UVS combines traditional classroom teaching with online training. In this approach, the traditional classroom teaching component decreases as the students advance in their curriculum.

On leaving the commune of Ndioum, President Sall and the Caliph of the Omarienne family Thierno Madani Tall (a descendant of Sheikh Omar Tall) inaugurated the Ndioum-Halwar road section. This axis, of about sixty kilometers connecting Ndioum, Halwar, and Demeth was built as part of the rehabilitation works of national road number 2.

In Agnam, President Macky SALL proceeded on Monday, June 13, with the laying the foundation of the Eco-Museum of Fulani civilizations. This building made up of a conference room, a performance and projection room, a documentation room, a relaxation area, a restaurant, etc … is part of the program of inventory of national cultural heritage started in 2012.

A Political Campaign Ahead of the Time

The Senegalese opposition parties leaders and certain observers of the political scene, however, were quick to qualify the president’s “economic tour” as purely political. According to them, the president’s tour is aimed at warming up his electoral base for the local elections which will take place in 2022.

The president was greeted, at every stop, by a huge crowd of enthusiastic supporters. It is worth noting that the northern Senegalese regions with a majority Fulani is the political base of the governing coalition BBY.