At Moussala, a Senegalese town bordering Mali, a significant queue of nearly 15 kilometers of trucks currently stretches along the road. This congestion highlights a critical issue: the border crossing lacks the necessary infrastructure to efficiently manage the heavy volume of traffic flowing between Sénégal and Mali, particularly along the vital Dakar-Bamako transport corridor.

For truck drivers, these extended waiting periods present numerous challenges, exacerbating transit times and leading to considerable operational surcharges. Daouda Singui Sarr, Director of Promotion and Assistance at the Senegalese Shippers’ Council (Cosec), elaborated on the difficulties faced by transporters. “The problems are multifaceted. Firstly, transit times are increasing, which inevitably leads to additional costs for the transporters. For the drivers themselves, the waiting conditions are far from ideal, especially during the winter season when they face various hardships due to a lack of basic amenities,” explained Sarr.

The volume of freight traffic in this region has been steadily climbing, driven in large part by the booming mining sector. In response to this growing demand, Cosec has already taken proactive steps. In Kidira, a 15-hectare dedicated parking facility for trucks has been developed. Now, Cosec is actively seeking comparable solutions for Moussala to alleviate the current bottlenecks, as Daouda Singui Sarr confirmed.

“Our counterparts in customs and border police had already anticipated this challenge. They have increased staffing levels at the border to help accelerate the passage of trucks. The question now is, why not replicate our successful modern parking project from Kidira at Moussala?” he proposed.

Urgent measures are expected to be implemented in the coming weeks, a result of close coordination with local authorities to enhance the efficiency of the Mali-Sénégal border crossing and improve the overall Dakar-Bamako transport experience.