The Minister of Microfinance and the Social and Solidarity Economy, Alioune Dione, presided over a ceremony in Ndiaganiao marking a decisive step in the implementation of the national targeted financing strategy. This initiative, adopted by the Council of Ministers, aims to structure and support local stakeholders through the creation of Solidarity Productive Cooperatives (CPS). It is directly aligned with the new framework law, which now authorizes associations to carry out income-generating activities, thus transforming the associative sector into a genuine economic driver.

In the communes of Ndiaganiao, Sessène, Fissel, and Sandiara, the government identified, trained, and brought together project leaders, mostly women, into cooperatives focused on production and resource sharing. According to the minister, this approach aligns with the principles of solidarity-based production and local processing of raw materials. A total of 300 women from 117 villages benefited from three days of intensive training on processing local products, soap making, and modern packaging techniques. The training concluded with the presentation of certificates and state-of-the-art production equipment to enhance their operational capacity.

This pilot phase in Njegémm, according to Alioune Dione, represents the first milestone in an ambitious program intended to cover the entire national territory. The objective now is to establish distribution and consumption networks to guarantee genuine economic sovereignty at the local level. Njegémm is already emerging as a dynamic hub with 308 productive, solidarity-based cooperatives active in vital sectors such as agriculture, livestock farming, market gardening, and food processing.

Supported by the President of the Republic, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, and the Prime Minister, Ousmane Sonko, this policy aims to create 10,000 solidarity-based productive cooperatives by 2029. This rollout will be accompanied by rigorous technical, organizational, and financial monitoring. In conclusion, the Minister commended Italy's strategic support through the PROGRESS program, while also praising the commitment of local authorities and technical partners who work daily on the ground to ensure the success of this solidarity-based economic model.