Twenty-four hours after his inauguration, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, the fifth and youngest president of Senegal, delivered his first national address on the occasion of the 64th anniversary of independence, celebrated this Thursday, April 4th. It was an opportunity to outline the major policy orientations of his administration.
Promptly at the scheduled time, Bassirou Diomaye Faye took to the lectern for his inaugural national address, delivered on the eve of Independence Day. He announced consultations aimed at implementing strong measures to address the high cost of living. However, preceding this, he emphasized that youth empowerment is at the forefront of his concerns.
“Education, vocational training, employment, and entrepreneurship for young people and women remain significant challenges to tackle. I will prioritize them highly in public policies, in consultation with the private sector. We must revisit existing mechanisms, improve them, and streamline them to better meet the needs of employment and other income-generating activities for the youth. To encourage job creation, I intend to rely on a strong private sector, supported by the state. Of course, the international private sector will also have a vital role to play. Senegalese people are resilient, but they are weary and expect solutions from us to address the high cost of living. This issue concerns us greatly and has my full attention. In the days to come, robust measures will be taken in this regard, following consultations with the relevant stakeholders.”
The new president also mentioned the desire for a comprehensive reform of the electoral system, following consultations with the political class and civil society: streamlining political parties and their financing, for instance, as well as linking the acquisition of identification cards to registration in the electoral roll. Reforming the judiciary is another top priority. To “reconcile” this judiciary with the Senegalese people, Bassirou Diomaye Faye promised conferences involving professionals from the sector.