Sokhna Maï MBACKÉ: The new face of leadership in a changing world of women (by Cheikh Bèye)

Sixty-six years after our country's independence, Senegal continues to be ranked among the poorest countries on the planet, 150th out of 190. Women are marginalized as if they represent nothing in this country, even though they make up 52 percent of the population. In reality, almost all positions are given to men because they are supposedly more competent and more educated. But there are also women who are more educated and more competent than men. I could name many: Mame Madior Boye during the first democratic transition, Aminata Touré, better known as "Mimi," with her famous slogan: "accelerate the pace," Ms. Lagarde, President of the European Central Bank, and I could name others. And Sokhna Maï Mbacké is one of these women, even though she is much younger than them. I will borrow the famous expression that became famous during the first alternation of power, which targeted the former President Abdoulaye Wade, affectionately known as “Goor gui”: “The most educated man from Cairo to Cape Town”.

Despite her young age, this expression would be tailor-made for her.

Originally from Darou Karim, in the commune of Touba, Sokhna Maï Mbacké Djamil is a great-granddaughter of Serigne Massamba Mbacké, younger brother of Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba. Daughter of a parliamentarian mother and a religious leader father, she grew up in an environment where community service, the transmission of knowledge, and commitment held an essential place.

Part of her childhood was spent in the United States, before she continued her adolescence in France. This early exposure to several cultural environments fostered her early curiosity about issues of organization, governance, education, and development.

While preparing for her baccalaureate in France, she made a decision that would profoundly shape her life. Refusing to give up wearing the veil, which she considered inseparable from her religious beliefs, she chose to return to Senegal to continue her schooling. She considered returning to France for her higher education, but ultimately decided to stay in Senegal.

This choice, far from slowing down his ambition, becomes the starting point of a new chapter.

Certified by the World Bank in Public-Private Partnerships and holding a double Master's degree in public accounting and financial management and in IFRS international standards from CESAG, she is currently a doctoral student at the Business Science Institute of Luxembourg and her work is devoted to the governance and effectiveness of financial inclusion mechanisms in the service of entrepreneurship.

His academic background reflects the same requirement: to make knowledge a tool for transformation.

In 2016 she joined the Senegalese administration, where she participated for more than seven years in projects related to governance, public finance, institutional partnerships and the modernization of organizations.

To Bassirou D. Faye: Sokhna Maï Mbacké deserves a position as Minister-Advisor to the President, Chief of Staff to the President, Minister-Advisor and Director of General Services for the Presidency, or Director General, to gain experience and climb the ranks, step by step, until she achieves her ambition for her country. She is brilliant in her speeches, her presence, and her eloquence. She is one of the most influential figures in Touba, and Touba deserves better. By appointing her, Bassirou Diomaye Faye is giving women their rightful place and highlighting female leadership in Touba, Mbacké, Diourbel, and throughout the country.

If Queen Biz, a simple singer, is appointed CEO of a local theater, she who until now only sang mbalax, I applaud because it's a victory for women.

But logically, if she succeeds in becoming CEO, why not a young woman like Sokhna Maï Mbacké, with all her qualifications, be appointed Minister of Youth, or Minister-Advisor attached to the Presidency, or even Chief of Staff involved in decision-making positions for a better Senegal? Finally, I'll mention just 10 agencies that she would manage brilliantly.

1. Director General of APIX
2. Director General of DER/FJ
3. Managing Director of ADIE / Digital Senegal
4. ANER — National Agency for Renewable Energies
5. ANAM — National Maritime Affairs Agency
6. ANPEJ — National Agency for the Promotion of Youth Employment
7. Senegalese Tourism Promotion Agency
8. Universal Health Coverage (CMU) Agency
9. National Railway Agency
10. National Agency of the Great Green Wall

Long live Senegal, long live the Republic, may God bless Senegal.

Cheikh Bèye, entrepreneur in Italy.