In a televised speech ahead of National Day, Macky Sall promised to stay “in line with the country’s deep impulses”, while the opposition accuses the government of being deaf to the age-old demands, starting with the youth.
as reported from Dakar, Thea Ollivier
Senegal celebrates its 61st anniversary of independence on April 4. For the second year in a row, all public events to celebrate the country’s sovereignty have been canceled due to Covid-19. But a lifting of the colors ceremony will take place at the Republic Palace on Sunday and President Macky Sall gave his usual speech to the nation last night, April 3rd.
In this speech on union and peace, he recalled the importance of pluralism in a country where there is “no room for particularism”. But above all, he dedicated his message to the youth. Nearly a month after the violent and deadly protests that shook the country after the court case with political opponent Ousmane Sonko, Senegalese President Macky Sall promised dialogue with the opposition and “new answers” to youth demands.
The fight against youth unemployment requires a new impetus. I have decided to reorient budget appropriations to at least 450 billion CFA francs over three years, including 150 billion for this year. These resources will be used to fund the emergency program for employment and socio-economic integration of young people. a one-stop-shop will be set up in each of our 45 departments. This window is called the Employment and Entrepreneurship Center for Young People and Women and will serve as a framework for welcoming, advising and funding project managers. I decided to allocate CFA 80 billion from May to May for the recruitment of 65,000 young people.
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