LE TEMPS PRESSE : 900 jours pour transformer le Sénégal (Par Isaac Sissokho)
A collective victory, a shared responsibility. On March 7, 2026, the Diomaye President Coalition adopted its statutes and internal regulations at a General Assembly that marked a decisive turning point. President Bassirou Diomaye Faye clearly recalled in his closing address that "the coalition was born in the most difficult times" —dissolution of the party, imprisonments, and a struggle against all odds. It is this legitimacy, forged in adversity, that the UNDP/YEMALE intends to honor today, not through speeches, but through concrete programmatic actions in service of reforms.
A window of opportunity is closing. The President's term ends in the first quarter of 2029. Fewer than 900 days remain . The President himself forcefully stated: "A coalition supporting the President's actions cannot be passive." This word—passive—is a program in itself. It signifies that the time for posturing is over; now is the time for action. The second half of 2026 is the decisive window; this is when programs must be finalized, agreements signed, and funding allocated in the 2027 budget. Waiting until 2027 to get things moving is to condemn the term's record to meager results. The Senegalese people will not judge intentions. They will judge results.
The demographic challenge is the youth, who can no longer wait. Two out of three Senegalese are under 25. By 2050, our population will double. This boom is an extraordinary force—provided it is equipped. Yet the figures are overwhelming: 99.3% of households own digital equipment, but only 3% of rural homes are connected to the internet. The correlation between electrification and digital access reaches 95% in our country: Kédougou, Kolda, Sédhiou, and Tambacounda suffer from both energy poverty and digital exclusion. These are the same areas that experience both empty migration and emigration. The difference between demographic dividend and burden lies in the decisions we make now, in these 900 days we have left. As the Head of State reminded us, "nothing, absolutely nothing, can shake us" —provided that this resilience translates into tangible results for the people.
Our response: “Connecting and Enlightening Senegal” is the program that UNDP / YEMALE is contributing to the coalition's strategic debate, in direct support of the political action of the President of the Republic and his government. Built on a scientifically established conviction—that a territory cannot be connected without first providing it with electricity—this energy-digital convergence program is achievable in 900 days, starting in July 2026 and ending in December 2028. It includes the deployment of no fewer than 1,500 energy-digital convergence sites in the most isolated areas, the laying of 2,000 km of rural fiber backbone , the opening of 400 village digital centers , and the training of 550,000 Senegalese in digital tools—to increase the effective connectivity rate from 41% to 75% by the end of the term. Telemedicine for areas without hospitals, e-commerce for rural producers, mobile money for families without banks, digital education for children without equipment: these are the concrete faces of the development that President Diomaye Faye promised to the Senegalese people.
Tens of thousands of Senegalese will be put to work. Beyond infrastructure, this program is a massive job creator. During its 900-day implementation period, it will generate over 14,000 direct, skilled jobs rooted in the areas that need them most. Within five years of completion, the resulting ecosystem will generate over 70,000 indirect jobs . These sustainable, decentralized, and productive jobs will transform the population boom into a dividend of prosperity.
Mobilized, committed, ready. The UNDP/YEMALE, under the leadership of its President, Principal Treasury Inspector Assane Ndir, reaffirms its total commitment to the national transformation project championed by the Head of State. The Diomaye President Coalition was born in adversity. It seized power through collective resistance. Today, it must earn it through results. We are ready. Time is running out, Senegal is watching us, and the 900-day plan starts now.
Dr. Isaac SISSOKHO
Secretary General — UNDP/YEMALE Party, Member of the Diomaye President Coalition
Expert in Governance, Regulation and Digital Development Strategy
Former Secretary General of the Ministry of Communication, Telecommunications and Digital Technology
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