Back to school: The Port of Dakar focuses on solidarity with vulnerable children

The Autonomous Union of Workers of the Autonomous Port of Dakar (SATPAD) organized a ceremony to distribute school kits to orphans and vulnerable children of Port of Dakar employees. This social initiative received the support of the Port Authority's management and foundation. At the event, the Director General, Pathé Mbengue, reaffirmed his commitment to placing human capital at the heart of the transformation of the port ecosystem, while the Foundation announced a corporate social responsibility strategy developed in collaboration with workers and social partners.

Solidarity in the service of education. This is the meaning behind the school kit distribution ceremony organized by the Autonomous Union of Workers of the Autonomous Port of Dakar (SATPAD) for the benefit of orphans and vulnerable children of employees of the Autonomous Port of Dakar. Through this initiative, the union aims to support students in their schooling, while also providing concrete assistance to families facing hardship.

Beyond the distribution of school supplies, this initiative highlights the importance of solidarity and social responsibility within the port community. Present at the ceremony, the Director General of the Port Authority of Douala (PAD), Pathé Mbengue, commended the union's commitment and emphasized the need to preserve human capital to achieve the port's development goals.

Sonkhibou Diagne: "Behind every schoolchild, there is a child."

In his speech, Sonkhibou Diagne, Secretary General of SATPAD, recalled the human dimension of this initiative, which aims to offer beneficiary children better conditions to start the school year.

"Behind every schoolchild, there is a child. Behind every soul, there is a dream. Behind every dream, there is the hope for a better future," he said.

For the union representative, distributing school kits is not simply about providing notebooks, books, or supplies. It is also about allowing children to start the year with greater peace of mind, dignity, and confidence.

“We are not simply handing out kits. We are handing out the means to learn. We are restoring confidence. We are giving hope to the children,” he stressed, inviting the students to “work hard, persevere, and believe in themselves.”

Sonkhibou Diagne also defended a concept of development that is not limited to economic performance. According to him, an organization's ability to support its communities and prepare for the future of its children is also a key indicator of its social commitment.

Addressing the Director General of the Autonomous Port of Dakar, he expressed the union's gratitude for his support, availability, and concern for the future of children. SATPAD also reiterated its commitment to supporting the management in its mission to transform the port ecosystem.

"A child supported today is an adult who will be able to support their community in turn tomorrow," he stated, presenting this initiative as a symbol of a community that is mobilizing and a public company that is assuming its social responsibility.

In conclusion, the Secretary General of SATPAD thanked the Dakar Autonomous Port Foundation, as well as the communications and management departments involved in organizing this event. He also called for strengthened collaboration between the union and the Foundation to develop more ambitious initiatives with a strong social impact.

Pathé Mbengue: "The most important resource is human resources."

Speaking at the event, the Director General of the Autonomous Port of Dakar, Pathé Mbengue, praised an initiative which, in his view, goes beyond the framework of traditional union defense to fit into a logic of preserving human capital.

After paying tribute to union officials, directors, department heads and retirees who had dedicated part of their professional lives to the port, he stressed the importance of recognizing the contribution of workers to the nation.

The CEO also explained that the attention given to social issues stems from a fundamental conviction: no transformation ambition can be realized without the commitment of human resources.

“Some people told me: ‘Mr. Director General, we get the impression that you are sensitive to social issues, at least for your first weeks at the port.’ To that, I replied: ‘Actually, it’s because I understood that the most important resource is human resources,’” he said.

Pathé Mbengue emphasized that modernizing the Autonomous Port of Dakar requires the mobilization of all professional categories. He particularly stressed the role of dockworkers in the operation of the port facility, believing that every worker must be valued for their true worth.

"Even the dockworker has an essential role in the functioning of the port. We will have to give him all the importance he deserves so that together we can achieve our objectives," he stated.

In this context, the CEO reiterated his willingness to engage in dialogue with workers and social partners. He explained that he did not want to create a climate of fear, but rather to make management a partner that listens to the staff.

"You will find in me a sensitive general manager, attentive to the workers," he assured, stressing that calming the social climate and establishing a positive mindset are essential to the transformation of the port ecosystem.

To illustrate this interdependence between the port and its workers, Pathé Mbengue used a powerful image, comparing the company to a dairy cow that must be cared for so that it can continue to feed the economy.

"This cow needs to be cared for, because without a healthy cow, it won't be able to provide enough milk to the economy. But without you, this cow won't have any milk," he explained, arguing for greater recognition of staff contributions to the company's performance.

Port modernization and infrastructure strengthening

Beyond social issues, Pathé Mbengue discussed the ambitions for the development of the Senegalese port sector. He notably announced plans to modernize the Dakar port facility, strengthen regional ports, and develop a multimodal port platform.

"In two years and a few months, we plan to open the first in-depth multimodal platform in Senegal," he said, referring to an important turning point for the future of the port ecosystem.

However, the Director General stressed that these objectives cannot be achieved without a collective mobilization of all staff, administrative managers and social partners.

He therefore invited workers and union leaders to consider social initiatives as a component of this overall dynamic, intended to create the conditions necessary for the development of the port.

Specifically mentioning the kits distributed to the children of deceased officers, retirees and vulnerable people, he praised a gesture which, in his opinion, deserves to be strengthened.

The Director General also emphasized the importance of education, which he considers a key driver of national development. Referring to a visit he made with the Minister of Education to schools in Tambaoulène, he stressed the need to invest in educational infrastructure and the future of younger generations.

"A generation without education is not a generation that can carry development," he said, calling on public officials and parents to pay special attention to the cause of school.

Pathé Mbengue has finally committed to examining the possibilities of strengthening this type of initiative, so that workers and their families can benefit more from the social dynamic he wishes to promote within the Autonomous Port of Dakar.

The PAD Foundation is preparing a participatory CSR strategy

For her part, Ms. Maréga, general administrator of the Autonomous Port of Dakar Foundation, explained that the distribution of school kits is part of the port's corporate social responsibility (CSR) policy.

She presented this initiative as an illustration of the PAD's civic engagement, which aims to contribute to the well-being of the population while paying particular attention to its own workers and their families.

"This is a way for the Port to demonstrate its civic commitment and to show that it is indeed working for the well-being of the population," she explained.

The general administrator specified that the action carried out with SATPAD made it possible to support children from vulnerable categories, including the families of deceased employees and retirees.

She stressed that the port's social responsibility should not only concern external populations, but also the people who contribute daily to its operation.

When asked about the Foundation's prospects for civic engagement, Ms. Maréga announced the preparation of a portfolio of projects that will be developed in consultation with various internal stakeholders.

"As part of this corporate social responsibility program, there is indeed a portfolio of projects that will be developed in consultation with internal stakeholders, including social partners, but also with staff," she said.

The objective is to present the CSR strategy, to gather the expectations of workers and to translate their needs into structuring projects, according to an approach that aims to be inclusive.

"It will be a participatory and inclusive approach," she said, adding that agents will need to be able to understand the issues of this strategy, but also express their needs and expectations, which will be examined by the general management of the Autonomous Port of Dakar.

Through this distribution of school kits, SATPAD, the General Management, and the PAD Foundation are demonstrating a shared commitment to strengthening solidarity within the port community. Between supporting education, fostering social dialogue, and implementing corporate social responsibility projects, the challenge now is to ensure the sustainability of these initiatives so that they have a lasting impact on the living conditions of workers and their families.