With the election of Bassirou Diomaye Faye as President of Senegal, the country is planning to enter a new phase in its development. The fifth president in the history of Teranga is eagerly awaited to take charge of various economic issues. During the election campaign, Bassirou Diomaye Faye promised to introduce economic reforms to improve living conditions for the population. And it is above all the revision of contracts between the state and foreign companies that the Senegalese are impatiently awaiting.
Recently, on 19 August, Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko took a major step forward by creating a commission to renegotiate oil and gas contracts with major companies. The aim is to put an end to the unequal distribution of revenues from Senegal’s resources.
The Prime Minister said that the government was not abandoning its campaign promise to renegotiate the oil and mining agreements, and that the commission would have the necessary resources to accomplish this task.
Senegalese interviewed in the streets of Dakar as part of the ‘Micro-Trottoir’ gave their views on the creation of the commission and their expectations as to the results to be achieved.
One of the Senegalese interviewed said during a micro-trottoir: ‘If we look at the figures and we advocate the percentage, the contracts, we were badly signed by the former government. Senegal only earns 10%, which doesn’t really help the Senegalese economy’. He also points out that ‘the new government and the companies can get down to work, to really see that this can be a win-win relationship’.
Another citizen said: ‘I’d say we’re far from forcing the issue, despite everything, these are our natural resources. If we had the same resources to exploit these natural resources, we wouldn’t need these foreign companies. Unfortunately, we don’t have these resources and we are obliged to work with these companies to exploit these sources. But we have to do it in such a way as to boost our economy to meet the needs of our people, who are currently living in difficult conditions’. He added: ‘If the authorities are prepared to change these relations in the interests of this country, we are in favor, but while maintaining the stability of our relations.’
It’s worth remembering that during the election campaign last March, Bassirou Diomaye Faye declared his intention to renegotiate Senegal’s relations and agreements with France in order to achieve ‘win-win cooperation’, put an end to ‘plundering’ and, ultimately, guarantee the country’s true sovereignty. It’s a promise that the Senegalese are eager to see fulfilled.
The review of Senegal’s contracts with foreign companies is an important step towards strengthening the country’s economic and national sovereignty. The people of Senegal have high expectations of this new Commission charged with reviewing the various contracts, as part of the fulfilment of President Bassirou Faye’s election promise.
