Diamilatou Sow: The sunflower sower who defies food addiction June 19, 2026
After a career at Nestlé and several years of expatriation in France, Diamilatou Sow returned to Senegal with one conviction: the country can produce what it consumes. Through the Comptoir commercial Retour à la maison (Ccrm), it is developing a local sunflower sector to reduce Senegal’s dependence on edible oil imports.
“When I talked about it, people laughed. » Diamilatou Sow has not forgotten those wry smiles that greeted his project in its infancy. Since then, sunflower seeds have taken root in Senegalese lands and the skeptics have become more discreet. Nothing, at first glance, seems to disturb the serenity of this young entrepreneur. However, behind his apparent calm lies an unusual determination. Its story begins far from the sunflower fields. After obtaining her baccalaureate in Dakar, she joined Hec Dakar in 2013 to pursue a degree in business administration.
Top of her class, she was quickly spotted by Nestlé Senegal. First an intern, then recruited, she became a sales manager at the head of a team of fourteen people. She then continued her career in the marketing department as an Event manager, working on emblematic brands such as Gloria, Nido and Cérélac. “I had already been in the food industry for a long time,” she confides in hindsight. The young woman could have pursued a ready-made career. But in 2017, personal reasons led her to settle in France. The return bet Far from Senegal, Diamilatou Sow does not remain inactive. She resumed her studies and obtained a master’s degree in management and business strategy. At the same time, she held positions of responsibility in marketing and then in the construction sector. However, despite this promising trajectory, the idea of return never leaves her. “My goal has always been to come back. This is what inspired the name “Return to Home”,” she explains.
This desire to return gradually becomes an entrepreneurial project. Even before returning home permanently, she is thinking about an activity capable of combining economic utility and social impact. She observed the consumption habits of the Senegalese, studied several agri-food sectors and ended up becoming interested in sunflowers. The choice may be surprising. However, it quickly becomes obvious to him. The sunflower produces an oil with a neutral taste, adapted to local culinary habits. It also has recognized nutritional qualities and can be grown in the Senegalese climate. “Sunflowers need a lot of sun. And Senegal has no shortage of sunshine. I said to myself: why not? “.
Behind this simple question lies a major issue. Each year, Senegal imports nearly 240,000 tonnes of edible oils. A dependence which weighs on the country’s trade balance and exposes the market to international fluctuations. “That’s where I wanted to make my contribution,” she summarizes. In February 2024, it launched the Return to Home Commercial Counter (CCRM). Initially, the company marketed an imported oil under the brand “Huile Jamila”, a nod to its first name. But very quickly, this first step seemed insufficient to him. She wants to produce locally. Better yet: build an entirely Senegalese sector, “from farm to fork”.
Building a sector from scratch.
This is when the adventure takes on a much more complex dimension. We must convince producers to try a crop that is still little known. Find suitable seeds. Bring in an agronomist. Form teams. Structuring an almost non-existent value chain. “I didn’t expect so many difficulties,” she admits. From France, where she still lives, she manages operations remotely. A situation which further complicates the task. Team management, crop monitoring, supplier search, equipment acquisition: each step becomes a challenge. “Very complicated,” she whispers. Added to these constraints is that of financing. “It’s a project that required significant investments from the start,” underlines the native of Wakhinane-Diacksao, in the Dakar suburbs. It was necessary to acquire the equipment, set up a processing unit and install an extraction plant capable of processing two tonnes of seeds per day for a production of around 500 liters of oil.
We also had to face doubts. To skeptical looks. To the comments of those who saw his project as an unrealistic idea. “You just had to keep moving forward,” she says. Senegalese pride Today, the results are there. The factory operates and employs eight people permanently. Added to this are service providers and a temporary workforce, mainly female, mobilized during threshing campaigns.
For Diamilatou Sow, this social dimension is essential. Beyond the figures, what makes her particularly proud is to have demonstrated that the production of sunflower oil is possible in Senegal. “Knowing that Senegal can produce its own sunflower oil is a source of immense pride. Many had thought about it, but few had dared to follow through,” she says happily. However, his enthusiasm remains measured. She knows that everything remains to be consolidated: agricultural production, supply, commercial outlets and the structuring of the sector. But it also measures the progress made. “Don’t give up.” How to define Diamilatou Sow? Those who come into contact with her often speak of gentleness, calm and discretion. She does not dispute these qualifiers. But she willingly adds another quality to them: audacity. “To carry out this project, it took a lot,” she admits. She describes herself as a supportive and honest person, but also admits to a character trait that is more difficult to control: impulsivity. “It’s probably my main fault,” she confesses frankly. To channel this energy, she imposes rigorous discipline on herself through gymnastics and bodybuilding. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t have held on. »
It is undoubtedly this mixture of determination, sincerity and assumed vulnerability that makes his journey so inspiring. Diamilatou Sow embodies a generation of Senegalese in the diaspora who now refuse to choose between skills acquired abroad and attachment to their native country. Today still employed in France, she is gradually preparing her definitive return to Senegal to devote herself entirely to her business.
“I think it’s just a matter of time,” she slips. To those who dream of entrepreneurship, she sends a simple message, forged by experience: “It takes resilience, a lot of self-sacrifice and patience. At first, everyone will try to discourage you. But above all, we must not give up.” Then, she concludes with a sentence that sums up her journey in itself: “If you give up at the first obstacle, you will spend your life starting over. The most important thing is to not give up. »
Pathé NIANG
