There is a street in Santhiaba called "the street without sun". A narrow alley, nestled between the houses of PENC, just opposite the Tilène market, at the corner of streets 19 and 18.

It was there, in this popular and vibrant district of the Medina, that Ousmane KANTÉ was born.

His family has lived there for over a century.

Three generations before him, his great-grandparents had left Gorée Island around 1918, making a brief stop in Niaye Thioker, in Roukhou Yapp, before finally settling in the Medina. A story of roots, of passing on traditions, and of a land that is never forgotten.

The first steps towards excellence

Little Ousmane first learned the verses of the Quran in Ndiagnène, rue 17x22, in the Ndey Dji Rew concession, under the tutelage of the revered master Mame Yess, may Allah have mercy on him.

Then came Medina 4 school, where he obtained his CEPE. Very quickly, the teachers noticed this attentive and brilliant boy.

In 1986, he passed the entrance exam for sixth grade and entered the Van Vo high school, now Lycée Lamine Guèye, a temple of Senegalese excellence.

The path unfolds with almost insolent regularity: BFEM in 1990, then baccalaureate series ES in 1993. The child from the Tilène market charts his course with quiet confidence.

Heading for France: in 1995, the big leap

After a stint at IFACE at UCAD, an institute founded by the illustrious Professor Mamadou Kassé, Ousmane embarked for France.

He then headed to Saint-Étienne, to the Jean Monnet University, where in 1998 he obtained his DUT in Business and Administration Management, specializing in finance.

But this is just one step. He continues with a Master 2 at ESCEM, a school that is a member of the prestigious Conference of European Grandes Écoles.

And as if that wasn't enough, in 2007 he went even further with an in-depth finance course for senior executives at HEC Paris, one of the best business schools in the world.

The street child without sunshine now sits among the world's elite.

The diaspora, a school of life

Twenty-six years in France: Ousmane is building a career there that commands respect.

From 1999 to 2002, he joined the Flo Group, a flagship of French gastronomy, to structure their debt collection service.

A sensitive position where he manages a portfolio of 1.5 billion euros. Thanks to his rigor, he helps to save the subsidiary SET SA from imminent insolvency, by restoring the balance of working capital requirements.

From 2003 to 2007, he joined UPS-SCS France, an American logistics giant, where he headed the customer risk management and credit analysis department. There, he honed his managerial skills and refined his expertise in financial analysis.

From 2008 to 2013, he became a senior executive at the French postal service, La Poste, in charge of financial studies for the subsidiary Coliposte. The pinnacle of a brilliantly executed career in France. He could have stayed there comfortably, for a long time.

The return home

But in 2013, Senegal called him. And he answered. He returned to Dakar and joined SGBS, where he advises foreign companies established in the land of Teranga.

In 2015, he took a new step by founding GK Finance, his own consulting firm specializing in investment, financial support and credit management, serving both companies and individuals.

In 2020 and 2021, he became credit manager for CMA CGM in Senegal, managing incoming financial flows as well as optimizing cash and working capital for the subsidiary TCD.

Commitment as a given

But Ousmane is not just a financier. He is a son of the Medina, and he has never forgotten where he comes from.

Twice elected as a municipal councilor, in 2009 and again in 2022 as a member of the municipal council, he is fully committed to his community. In 2017, he headed the list for the legislative elections in the Dakar department, under the Joyyanti banner of former Prime Minister Abdoul Mbaye.

From 2022 to 2025, he presided over APRS, the Association of Debt Collection Professionals of Senegal. He is also honorary president of ASC Santhiaba, honorary president of the Jaraaf supporters' section Medina, and founder of the Khaleys Medina Association, which works for educational excellence in Medina and Senegal.

And then there are the children.

Perhaps it is here that the man truly reveals himself.

Starting in 2008, using his own funds, he launched the "1 child, 1 breakfast" program in the schools of the Medina. Today, nearly 4,000 primary and elementary school children benefit from this program, which has never been interrupted.

He also distributes free school supplies to families in the Medina neighborhoods to ease the burden on parents of students.

He created the AKMD Prize to reward the best students in the community and to permanently embed the culture of excellence in schools.

It funds scholarships and plane tickets for students wishing to pursue their studies abroad or in Senegal.

He also supports the cultural associations of the Medina in their daily activities.

And all this without ever having been a minister, director general, mayor, or member of parliament. No government position whatsoever. Always in the private sector since his return to Senegal a little over ten years ago.

Just a child of the Medina acting for the development of his community, in complete autonomy and without conditions.

Medina Moma Ñor

Today, Ousmane KANTÉ is leading a movement that resonates like a cry from the heart: Médina Moma Ñor.

A movement born from the conviction that the Medina deserves better, and that this "better" comes through youth, quality education and social development for all.

From Medina 4 school to HEC Paris, from the Tilène market to European boards of directors, from Saint-Étienne to Santhiaba, he never left his neighborhood. He simply took it higher, further, stronger.

And today, he is putting that entire journey back at the service of his family.

Candidate for the upcoming 2027 municipal elections in the municipality of Medina