Pilgrims' Hangar, Mbour 4, Daga Kholpa: The former Director of State Property explains himself before the members of parliament

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Suspended housing developments, land consolidations, and contested occupations: the former director revisits the decisions made during his tenure. Appearing before the Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry tasked with examining land management and the Public Maritime Domain (DPM), Abdou Gning, former Director of State Lands, provided clarification on several sensitive cases. From Mbour 4 to the Hangar des Pèlerins, including Daga Kholpa and Déni Biram Ndao, he detailed the measures taken, the administrative suspensions, and the land consolidation procedures.

Housing developments suspended: the files scrutinized

From the outset of the hearing, the chairman of the committee clarified that the parliamentary proceedings were not intended as a preliminary indictment. He reiterated that the objective was to reconstruct, in an impartial and adversarial manner, the chronology of events, the legal basis, and the administrative acts that led to the disputed land allocations and developments in Dakar, Thiès, and Saint-Louis.

This clarification followed an intervention by the Honorable Abdou, who had contested the wording of the commission's title. Appointed head of the Land Registry in April 2024 and a member of the technical committee established in June of the same year, Abdou Gning indicated that upon assuming his duties, the disputed land allocations were already subject to administrative suspension.

Regarding the Pilgrims' Hangar and the Côté Océan site, within the framework of the PID (Integrated Development Plan), he mentioned the drafting and signing of decrees declaring the redevelopment operations to be in the public interest. The land registry services have also carried out an inventory of leases located along the seafront, with a view to their possible acquisition by the State for reasons of public utility.

For the BOA housing development, a draft decree declaring the redevelopment to be of public utility has been prepared and introduced into the approval process.

In the New City of Thiès, decrees relating to the declaration of public utility and the withdrawal of private leases and titles have been prepared, signed and notified to the beneficiaries.

According to his explanations, the Mbour 4 case followed a different logic: maintaining the site while verifying the multiple allocations through the technical committee.

At Recasement 2, the difficulties stemmed in particular from the overlap of two development plans, one drawn up by the Urban Planning department, the other by the developer. This situation required arbitration to finalize a plan.

Regarding the clearance certificate, the former director specified that people with a single plot of land regularly acquired from the DSCOS could obtain one in order to continue their administrative procedures.

Daga Kholpa, Déni Biram Ndao and DPM: clarifications from the former director

Major urban centers also played a significant role in the discussions. In Déni Biram Ndao, protests and the presence of pre-existing structures, including working orchards, led to the project's suspension. A comprehensive survey was ordered to identify existing structures before any administrative procedures could resume.

In Daga Kholpa, Abdou Gning reported a decree declaring the site's redevelopment to be of public utility. According to him, the aim is to address leases deemed irregular, while preserving priority state projects and resolving contentious cases.