Rufisque craft village: Alpha Thiam sensitive to the grievances of artisans

The Minister of Culture, Crafts and Tourism, Alpha Thiam, began a series of visits to the artisanal village of Rufisque, as part of his contact with stakeholders in the sector. He has made a commitment to build the site’s enclosure wall and announces diligence in the matter of the transfer of mechanics to the Activity Zone of Mechanics and Automotive Professionals (Zampa).

The artisanal village of Rufisque hosted, this Tuesday, July 14, the tour of Minister Alpha Thiam, who came to discuss, inquire about the working conditions of artisans and identify the main challenges they face. It highlights their capacity for resilience. “We are aware of your difficult conditions. We are here to listen to you, collect your grievances and try to find solutions together,” he declares from the outset, while emphasizing that meeting the stakeholders requires “courage” and a “capacity for attentive listening”. The minister places his tour within an approach of territorialization of his mission.

Mame Sougou, who spoke on behalf of the village’s artisans, emphasizes that observation alone is enough to see the situation in which the site finds itself. “To hide our difficult working conditions would be to hide reality. Any aid that does not aim to transform the face of the village would only be a wasted effort,” he believes. In this sense, he took the opportunity to list the grievances, in particular the construction of the wall, the increase in the number of canteens, participation in international fairs and the annual organization of a departmental fair within the craft village.

After listening to them, the minister, who reaffirms his approach based on co-construction, made a solemn commitment to build the wall of the artisanal village of Rufisque. Alpha Thiam promises to support them to improve their performance. “Senegal has talent, genius; Senegal knows how to make made in Senegal. We must equip you, give you access to the market and promote your financial development,” he says, emphasizing the need to install a technological service incubation center.

Furthermore, the minister was interested in the situation of mechanics. To this end, he informs the Association of Real Automobile Craftsmen of Senegal of the evolution of the Zone of Activities of Mechanics and Automotive Professionals (Zampa). “We are going to meet, next week, with the governor of Dakar to see how to organize your installation on this site. We will remove all the factors that block this process,” he assures. The minister continued his tour in the artisanal villages of Guédiawaye, Yoff and Soumbédioune.