President-Elect, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, sandwiched by the two incoming First Ladies, Marie Faye, left, Absa Faye, right

Abubakar Hashim

Virtually all African Presidents will be in Senegal tomorrow to witness the inauguration of the 5th Senegalese President-Elect, Bassirou Diomaye Faye.

The past former Presidents of Senegal include Leopold Senghor, who ruled for 20 years; followed by Abdou Diouf, 19; Abdoulaye Wade, 12 and immediate past President, Macky Sall, 12 years. Sall will hand over tomorrow to Faye.

Senegal

Tasks Before Faye

1. Jobs

Senegal, today, has the highest rate of illicit migration, particularly on the Mediterranean high seas. Sitting on the tip of the West Coast, the capital, Dakar, is the shortest route to Europe. The country has the highest casualties on makeshift wooden boats.
Getting jobs for graduates, skilled and artisans, will be the first pressing task before Faye.

2. Cost of Living

Though global in dimension, the cost of living in Senegal is excruciatingly biting. It is the most expensive country in West Africa. Faye has to find a formula to tackle the bitting cost of living, similar to Liberia’s Boakai strategy to cut down costs of living, through reducing percentages in petroleum products or through other means and methods. Senegal is a new entrant in the oil and gas industry in West Africa.

3. CFA Currency

Faye promised to abolish CFA and replace with a national currency. The task is huge and gigantic. The CFA is tied to the French treasury in Paris, backed with Senegal’s foreign reserves. All the Francophone West African countries, except Guinea, transact on the CFA currency.

4. Leftist Policies

Faye intends to radically break away from the rightist establishment policies in Senegal. This will be a hard nut to crack. The task is huge as all the past four presidents were extremely rightists. Though Faye promised to break away from France, the former colonial master, its current President Macron, though a former leftist, is now seen as a neoliberal for the rich.

Tomorrow’s inauguration will be attended by virtually all African Presidents, including Presidents from Europe and beyond. Current Senegalese President Macky Sall will officially hand over Bassirou Faye, who, intends to revolutionise state institutions.

He made this declaration from his two weeks campaign promises, when he was released from prison, along with his mentor, Ousmane Sonko, on whose weight and portrait he won the just concluded elections.

President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria  (the ECOWAS Chairman) will also attend. Read the story HERE

*Abubakar Hashim is West Africa Bureau Chief of TheNEWS Magazine