Senegal 2050: Diomaye Faye launches a national pact to build a "food-producing Senegal"

President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has made food sovereignty the priority of the National Transformation Agenda Senegal 2050.

Speaking today in Dakar at the formal session of the National Academy of Sciences and Techniques of Senegal (ANSTS), the Head of State advocated for a "National Pact for Food Sovereignty." The ambition is defined in a simple formula: "to enable our citizens to produce more of what they consume, and to consume more of what they produce."

For him, it is about building "a food system that is resilient to climate and economic shocks, capable of feeding its population with dignity and sustainability. "This sovereignty will be neither a slogan nor a simple sectoral policy," he insisted.

The head of state outlined several priority areas for achieving this objective. He particularly emphasized the diversification of agricultural, livestock and fisheries production, the modernization of value chains, the reduction of post-harvest losses, and the control of inputs through advances in precision agriculture and artificial intelligence.

Beyond availability, the President stressed that food sovereignty also depends on better nutritional quality.

He also noted that Senegal continues to face chronic malnutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, and rising overweight rates. The strategy must therefore guarantee, in his view, sustainable access to healthy, diverse, nutritious, and culturally acceptable food.

Bassirou Diomaye Faye also praised the role of the National Academy of Sciences and Techniques of Senegal, which he considers the country's "scientific conscience," while inviting the scientific diaspora to strengthen its contribution to national development. He also encouraged strengthening partnerships with African and international academies to accelerate innovations adapted to the realities of the continent.

Addressing the ongoing challenges, the Head of State acknowledged Senegal's significant food dependency despite its substantial agricultural, forestry, livestock, and fisheries potential. He described this situation as a "strategic vulnerability" requiring a collective response based on science and integrated governance.

The President of the Republic also took advantage of the meeting with the academics to raise concerns about the worrying decline of science programs in the Senegalese education system. He particularly lamented the gradual disappearance of the S1 series, an elite program dedicated to mathematics and physics.

Bassirou Diomaye Faye launched an appeal for collective mobilization: "I call for a National Pact for Food Sovereignty, based on science, technology and innovation, on collective responsibility and concerted action. Together, we have the responsibility to transform today's vulnerabilities into tomorrow's opportunities and to promote a food-producing Senegal, in sovereignty, prosperity and dignity."