ALIOUNE SARR ON TOUR IN FRANCE: "Dakar is the heart of Senegal, but the territories are its lungs"

From Paris to Massy via Creil, the President of the Alliance for Senegal is mobilizing the diaspora around a new pact between Territories, Diaspora and Sovereignty

France – As part of his European tour, Mr. Alioune SARR, President of the Alliance for Senegal / Andando Ngir Senegaal Party (APS/ANS), has held numerous meetings with Senegalese people living in France to share his vision of the Senegal of tomorrow and strengthen ties between the diaspora and the territories.

True to his commitment to engaging with the community, President Alioune Sarr personally visited his compatriots in Senegalese homes and families. He notably visited the Les Mûriers residence in the 20th arrondissement of Paris, as well as Massy in the Essonne department, where he spoke with many Senegalese about the country's challenges, the diaspora's expectations, and the development opportunities offered by the regions.

These meetings allowed the President of the Alliance for Senegal to listen directly to the concerns of compatriots living in France, but also to gather their proposals to contribute more to the economic, social and territorial development of Senegal.

A strong turnout in Creil

The tour continued in Creil, in the Oise department in Hauts-de-France, where Senegalese compatriots strongly mobilized around the vision put forward by the Alliance for Senegal.

The meeting was chaired by Ms. Amy Faye, political leader of the Alliance for Senegal in France, who brought together Senegalese people from Creil and surrounding areas around the guidelines of President Alioune SARR and the party's political project.

In her speech, Ms. Amy Faye praised President Alioune SARR's commitment to the diaspora and recalled the importance for Senegalese abroad to fully participate in building the Senegal of tomorrow.

The audience, composed of association leaders, workers, students, entrepreneurs and Senegalese families, expressed keen interest in the proposals developed around territorial development, productive investment and economic sovereignty.

A strong message to the political class

Through the discussions held during this tour, Alioune SARR reaffirmed his conviction that Senegal needs a new model of governance based on dialogue, responsibility and collective construction.

For the President of the APS, the challenges of national development transcend partisan divisions and require a mobilization of all the vital forces of the Nation.

"We may be political opponents, but we must never be enemies of the Republic."

He therefore invited all political actors to prioritize solutions, the national interest and economic development above positioning disputes.

The limitations of the centralized model

One of the main lessons of this tour was the need to rethink public policies based on the realities of the territories.

According to Alioune SARR, several decades of excessively centralized development have shown their limitations, concentrating investments and opportunities in a few large urban centers.

"When everything is decided at the center, the regions wait. When the regions decide and act, the country moves forward."

For him, Senegal must now rely more on its local authorities in order to bring about more distributed and inclusive growth.

Dakar and the territories: a shared national ambition

Refusing any opposition between Dakar and the rest of the country, Alioune SARR developed a vision based on the complementarity of the territories.

“Dakar is the heart of Senegal, but the territories are its lungs. No country can breathe fully with only one lung. It is together, through the complementarity of all our territories, that we will build a sovereign, prosperous and balanced Senegal.”

According to him, Senegal's development can only be sustainable if each territory is empowered to develop its resources, create jobs and attract investment.

"When Dakar thrives and the regions breathe easier, all of Senegal grows."

Notto Diobasse Smart City, a model for territories

Drawing on the experience of Notto Diobasse Smart City, Alioune Sarr presented this program as a concrete illustration of the potential for transforming territories.

According to him, Senegal's development will come through the creation of territorial hubs for production, innovation, training, industrialization and services.

"Senegal will not develop from Dakar towards the territories. It will develop from the territories towards Dakar."

For the President of the APS, each territory must become an engine of national development and contribute to the creation of collective wealth.

Land as a development asset

During the discussions, Alioune SARR also stressed the need to change our perspective on land.

For him, the land constitutes a strategic asset that must be valued for the benefit of present and future generations.

"A hectare has no value because it is sold. It has value because it is developed."

Comparing the sale of undeveloped land to the export of raw materials, he argued for a logic of transformation that creates jobs and wealth.

"Rich nations don't sell their resources. They transform them."

"Selling the land is consuming the future. Developing the land is building the future."

The Diaspora, a strategic partner in development

Throughout his tour, Alioune Sarr emphasized the central role that the diaspora must play in the development of Senegal.

He called on Senegalese people living abroad to become more investors, builders and partners in territorial development.

"The Diaspora is not an ATM. The Diaspora is an open-air Ministry of Development."

For him, the future of Senegal rests on a strong alliance between the territories, the diaspora, young people, women, entrepreneurs and local authorities.

A new national pact

At the end of this tour, the President of the Alliance for Senegal called for the construction of a new national pact based on three pillars:

* Strong territories;

* A mobilized diaspora;

* An assumed economic sovereignty.

The mobilization observed in Paris, Massy and Creil confirms the growing interest of Senegalese abroad in territorial development issues and their desire to actively participate in the transformation of Senegal.

"Dakar is the heart of Senegal, but the territories are its lungs. No country can breathe fully with only one lung."

President Alioune SARR concluded his tour with these words: "We did not come to manage the future. We came to build it."