ADAMA SARR, FROM THE LAND REGISTRY TO ANAT: THE CAREER PATH OF A MAN OF THE FIELD IN CHARGE OF REGIONAL PLANNING

Adama Sarr, a land surveyor, mayor of Keur Massar Nord, and doctoral candidate in geomatics at Laval University in Canada, has taken the helm of the National Agency for Territorial Development (ANAT). His background, encompassing land expertise, administrative responsibilities, municipal involvement, and international experience, paints the profile of a technician who has become a key player in territorial management. At the head of this strategic organization, he has a clear ambition: to combine modernity and rigor to rethink the management of Senegalese territories.

To know a territory is first and foremost to know how to read it, measure it, and understand its changes. From cadastral surveys to the management of local authorities, Adama Sarr has progressively built a career at the crossroads of technology, administration, and public action. A trajectory that has led him today to the head of the National Agency for Territorial Development (ANAT).

His appointment was announced during the Council of Ministers meeting on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, chaired by the Head of State, Bassirou Diomaye Faye. He succeeds Tidiane Sidibé as head of this body responsible for supporting the planning and organization of the national territory.

From land registry to national responsibilities

It was within the General Directorate of Taxes and Domains (DGID) that Adama Sarr forged a significant part of his professional experience. In October 2014, he began his career in land administration as head of the Mbour cadastral office, a position he held until September 2017.

He then continued his career in Tambacounda, where he headed the land registry office from September 2017 to February 2020, before moving to Kolda in March 2020. He held the same responsibilities there until September 2021.

These various assignments allow him to work closely with land and territorial realities, with missions that require both technical skills and administrative management capabilities. His responsibilities include supervising teams, monitoring work plans, evaluating performance, and producing technical, administrative, and financial reports.

His experience, however, extends beyond the Senegalese administration. Since 2013, he has worked as a consultant with the Global Land Tool Network (GLTN), a UN-Habitat initiative focused on land issues. Since 2015, he has also been a volunteer mediator with Mediators Beyond Borders International.

His career path has led him to participate in various international experiences and collaborations, notably in Uganda, South Korea, Italy, Nigeria, and Singapore. In March 2025, he undertook an internship at the Centre for Liveable Cities in Singapore, an experience focused on the challenges of urban planning and development.

An engineer between technical expertise and continuing education

This career path is based on university training focused on geomatics and land management. Adama Sarr holds a professional bachelor's degree and a master's degree in surveying and topography from the University of Thiès.

Since September 2021, he has also been pursuing a doctorate in geomatics sciences at Laval University in Canada. In addition to this training, he obtained a master's degree in Defence, Peace and Security from the Centre for Advanced Studies in Defence and Security (CHEDS) in Dakar in July 2023, with a grade of "Good".

His areas of expertise include mapping, geographic information systems, land, urban planning and legal issues related to land management and conflict prevention.

His profile is also marked by experience in teaching. Between 2014 and 2016, he worked in higher education institutions, notably at the Institute of Earth Sciences of UCAD and at the University of Thiès, where he taught courses in topography and computer-aided design.

Keur Massar Nord, the other side of the route

Alongside his career as a technician and administrative manager, Adama Sarr has also built up political and municipal experience. In February 2022, he was elected mayor of Keur Massar Nord, a municipality facing significant challenges related to its urban development and population growth.

At the head of this community, he discovered the concrete demands of local management: responding to the needs of the inhabitants, supporting the organization of the communal space and dealing with the difficulties linked to urbanization.

This responsibility offers him a different perspective on the challenges of land-use planning. Between the constraints of the land and the expectations of the population, municipal action represents an extension of his professional experience in the land sector.

A political journey marked by commitment, disagreements, and renewed ambition

Beyond his municipal responsibilities and professional expertise, Adama Sarr is also active in the political arena. In 2024, during the presidential campaign, the mayor of Keur Massar Nord joined the Diomaye Président coalition. He then lent his support to the Minister of Water Resources, Cheikh Tidiane Dièye, within his political party, Avenir Sénégal Bi Nu Bëgg.

But the arrival of the new leadership team was followed by political disagreements between the two men. This situation ultimately led to the mayor of Keur Massar Nord distancing himself from the party. In a letter addressed to Cheikh Tidiane Dièye, Adama Sarr announced his withdrawal from all his internal party positions, as well as his active membership.

He justifies this decision by the need to align his principles with his political commitment. "This decision stems not from a disengagement, but from a requirement for harmony between principle and action, between the proclaimed ideal and its practical realization," he writes.

In this letter, he also addresses the role of field leaders within political organizations, arguing that recognition, respect, and mutual trust are essential for their cohesion.

“I am not making any recriminations or demands here. I observe, as an analyst of the dynamics of forces, that our operational convergence is no longer optimal,” he specifies, before affirming his desire to free Avenir Sénégal Bi Nu Bëgg and its ally, PASTEF, from any obligation towards him personally.

This distancing does not signify a withdrawal from the political scene. On May 16, 2026, Adama Sarr took a further step with the official launch of his political movement, "Reform." Through this new platform, the mayor intends to present a political agenda centered on reforms, stability, and territorial development.

This commitment demonstrates his desire to pursue his political career outside of his former party.

Modernity and rigor to rethink territories

Now at the helm of ANAT, Adama Sarr intends to put his technical experience and knowledge at the service of a vision of land-use planning geared towards the future.

“I intend to combine modernity and rigor,” he states. His ambition is, in particular, to integrate new geospatial technologies into territorial planning, in order to contribute to better land management and prepare territories for the needs of future generations.

He summarizes this approach with a broader ambition: "To map all sectors of life in order to offer Senegalese people an ideal living environment today and tomorrow!"

With his expertise in land surveying, local responsibilities, university education, and international experience, the new Director General arrives at the helm of ANAT with a profile marked by his knowledge of the field and planning tools. The challenge now is to translate this experience and ambition into concrete policies in a country where the challenges of urbanization, territorial balance, and equitable access to services remain considerable.