SENEGAL
SENEGAL – RENEWPAC 2023 summit announced in Dakar: Another step towards a sustainable future
The Renew Europe group in the European Parliament presents the RENEWPAC 2023 Summit, which will be held in Dakar from 3 to 5 December 2023. This initiative, based on the success of the 2022 Summit in Marrakech, brings together liberal leaders from Europe and Africa around crucial priorities, with a particular focus on sustainable development.
Indeed, Renew Europe, the pro-European and centrist political group in the European Parliament, has 101 elected members in 24 EU Member States. The third largest political group, it promotes democracy, upholds the rule of law, human rights and fundamental rights, and works for a prosperous Europe and a sustainable continent for future generations.
Objectives of the RENEWPAC 2023 Summit
The RENEWPAC 2023 Summit aims to bring together liberal leaders from Europe and Africa to discuss the complex challenges facing both continents. With a focus on sustainable development, the summit aims to be a catalyst for positive change by bringing together engaged minds.
The RENEWPAC 2023 Summit is organized in collaboration with renowned liberal institutions, including the Liberal International, the African Liberal Network, the Friedrich Naumann Foundation, ALDE, EDP, the European Renewal Group of the European Committee of the Regions and the European Liberal Forum.
The details
Official Opening Ceremony (4 December 2023, 11:00 – 12:00): The ceremony will be inaugurated by H.E. Macky Sall, President of the Republic of Senegal, followed by speeches by Nicola Beer, Vice-President of the European Parliament, Hakima El Haite, President of the Liberal International, and Gilbert Noël Ouedraogo, President of the African Liberal Network. Interviews with Members of the European Parliament will be available before and after the ceremony.
Press Conference (5 December 2023, 12:30 PM – TBC): Shortly after the adoption of the Dakar Manifesto, a press conference will be held by the co-chairs of RENEWPAC, Jan-Christoph Oetjen and Mohamed Ouzzine, as well as by Omar Youm, Minister of the Armed Forces of Senegal.
Upon his arrival, Mr. Sonko was received one-on-one by his Ivorian counterpart, Robert Beugré Mambé, who is also the Minister of Sport and Living Environment. This meeting was followed by an extended working session in the presence of ministers from both governments, aimed at deepening cooperation in various areas of common interest.
The head of the Senegalese government will also travel to Bouaké, where he will meet with the Minister of Transport, Amadou Koné, who is also the mayor of the city. This stage is part of the twinning between Bouaké and Ziguinchor, a town where Ousmane Sonko was mayor.
Photo credit: Senegal Prime Minister
POLITICS
SENEGAL – The national dialogue enters a decisive phase with the installation of three commissions
The national dialogue has reached a key turning point. Yesterday, Wednesday 28 May 2025, Birame Sène, Chief Electoral Officer (DGE), revealed the composition of the three thematic commissions that will lead discussions on the future of the democratic and electoral system in Senegal.
The Democracy, Freedom and Human Rights commission will be headed by magistrate Thiaba Sy Camara. She will be supported by Babacar Fall of Gradec and Serigne Ahmadou Gaye, lecturer at the University Alioune Diop de Bambey. The position of rapporteur is entrusted to Ndéné Ndao, responsible within the DGE.
The Electoral Process Commission is entrusted to Mamadou Seck, a recognized electoral expert. He will work with Abdou Aziz Sarr, director of electoral operations at the DGE, and Yahya Niang, lecturer-researcher at Gaston Berger University. Aliou Diallo, head of the legal division of the DGE, will be the rapporteur.
The Institutional Reform and Election Management Bodies commission is under the responsibility of Ameth Ndiaye, a lecturer at UCAD. He will be assisted by Moussa Mbaye, sociologist, and the duo Ibrahima Nour Eddine Diagne – Pape Birame Sène, who will act as rapporteurs.
Each commission will be supervised by two political observers from the majority and the opposition. The general facilitator of the dialogue, Cheikh Guèye, will be supported by Ibrahima Baldé, civil administrator, as general rapporteur.
Work will resume on Friday morning at 9 a.m., opening a new stage towards the re-foundation of Senegal’s electoral system and democratic institutions.
Photo credit: Presidency Page Senegal
In a statement released on Sunday, May 18, the New Responsibility (NR), party led by former Prime Minister Amadou Ba, officially announced its participation in the national dialogue convened by President Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar Faye. This decision comes in a tense political context where several political formations have already made known their divergent positions on this presidential initiative.
Participation conditioned by broader ambitions
While New Responsibility (NR) confirms its presence in the upcoming discussions, it does not fail to point out that the proposed framework seems too narrow. The central theme of the political system is important, but it alone is not enough to meet the deep and legitimate expectations of Senegalese women and men,” reads the communiqué.
The party of Amadou Ba, defining itself as “an indisputable political force”, thus proposes to significantly expand the agenda of discussions to include several economic and social concerns that it considers priorities:
Public debt and the control of budget deficits;
Tax fairness;
Youth employment and employability;
Migration dynamics;
Sustainable development;
Purchasing power and the high cost of living;
The preservation of fundamental freedoms;
A strategic position in the political arena
This announcement comes at a time when the Senegalese political landscape remains divided on the very appropriateness of this dialogue. By agreeing to participate while seeking to redefine its scope, the New Responsibility adopts a constructive and critical posture that could allow it to stand out.
“Our participation is part of a dynamic of critical and constructive contribution, in a political, economic and social context of particular concern that requires rapid appeasement measures”, says the party, thus alluding to the tensions that run through Senegalese society.
A Republican vision claimed
The New Responsibility (NR) recalls its attachment to its credo “JAMM AK NJARIN” (peace and shared prosperity) and insists on its conception of national dialogue as “a republican instrument of pacification, strengthening democracy and consolidation of the rule of law”.
