During the latest Council of Ministers meeting in Dakar, Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko delivered a sobering assessment of Senegal’s market infrastructure, highlighting decades of neglect and systemic vulnerabilities. The government leader pointed to a troubling pattern: between 2013 and 2024, 53 markets across the country experienced one or more fire incidents, exposing the sector’s precarious state.
Speaking on the Programme de Modernisation et de Gestion des Marchés (PROMOGEM), Sonko outlined a comprehensive diagnosis revealing challenges that extend beyond governance. Technical decay, inadequate infrastructure, organizational inefficiencies, environmental threats, and health hazards have all contributed to the current crisis in market management. The assessment underscores the urgent need for systemic transformation in how Senegal handles its commercial heartlands.
PROMOGEM’s bold vision for market revitalization
The Prime Minister unveiled an ambitious plan to overhaul the nation’s market network. Under the PROMOGEM initiative—which spans from 2025 to 2029—the government aims to completely restructure all 528 existing markets while constructing 67 new, state-of-the-art facilities. The pilot phase of this transformation has already begun, with key priorities identified to ensure smooth implementation.
To execute this vision, Sonko emphasized three critical pillars:
- Institutional reform: Transforming market management into an autonomous entity with enhanced operational agility, financial independence, and improved capacity to secure innovative funding sources.
- Financial commitment: A substantial investment of 57.5 billion West African CFA francs allocated over four years through the Public Investment Plan (PIP), ensuring sustained funding for market modernization.
- Legal and regulatory updates: Revising existing frameworks to better support market development and management at both the local and national levels.
Collaborative implementation for sustainable change
Sonko called for a coordinated effort between the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Finance and Budget, and the Ministry of Urban Planning, Local Governments, and Territorial Development. The goal is to establish a nationwide network of modern markets while ensuring rigorous oversight by local authorities and private sector partners. This collaborative approach aims to create a sustainable, efficient, and safe commercial ecosystem for all Senegalese.
