91st anniversary: Abdou Diouf, the imprint of the State
This Monday, September 7, 2026, Abdou DIOUF, second president of the Republic of Senegal, celebrates his ninety-first birthday.
Born September 7, 1935 in Louga. At the age of 25, Abdou Diouf began a career as a senior civil servant, from 1960 to 1963, he was successively director of International Technical Cooperation, Secretary General of the Ministry of Defense and Governor of the Sine-Saloum region. Appointed Chief of Staff of President Léopold Sédar Senghor in 1963, then Secretary General of the Presidency of the Republic of Senegal in 1964, he became Minister of Planning and Industry from 1968 to 1970. He was appointed Prime Minister in 1970.
Abdou Diouf acceded to the Presidency of the Republic of Senegal on January 1, 1981, following the resignation of President Senghor and was reappointed in his position during the elections of 1983, 1988 and 1993.
In March 2000, Abdoulaye Wade succeeded him, following a second round of the presidential election, President Abdou Diouf congratulated his main opponent for his victory, even before the official publication of the results.
On October 20, 2002, Abdou Diouf was elected Secretary General of La Francophonie and succeeded Boutros Boutros-Ghali. In 2006, he was reappointed for four years.
The architect of a policy of openness based on the establishment and consolidation of the multi-party system, Abdou Diouf will have had a profound impact on the political trajectory of Senegal. Under his mandates, the country gradually began to anchor itself in economic liberalism, while consolidating the foundations of its institutional model.
Its action also remains inseparable from the growth of media pluralism and press freedom. The gradual opening of the media space to private actors has contributed to diversifying voices, broadening public debate and strengthening the democratic vitality of Senegal.
A civil servant to the core, Abdou Diouf has also devoted an essential part of his action to the consolidation of the Senegalese administration. Attached to the principles of discipline, method and continuity of the State, he has made administrative rigor and responsible management of public funds markers of his governance.
Beyond the controversies and limits inherent to any political work, Abdou Diouf will have left his mark on the contemporary history of Senegal. His legacy remains associated with a certain conception of the State, based on institutional stability, administrative rigor, political openness and the progressive consolidation of public freedoms.
O.BA
