YOG Dakar 2026: Ngaparou, Saly and Malicounda go green

As part of the preparations for the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games (YOG), the Director General of Living Environment, Bouna Seck, led, on Wednesday October 21, a beautification operation in the communes of Ngaparou, Saly and Malicounda, in the Mbour department. On the program: planting trees, installing flower boxes and mobilizing local authorities to sustainably improve the living environment.

The Mbour department is preparing to host the Dakar 2026 YOG. The General Directorate of Living Environment deployed its teams, Wednesday October 21, in the communes of Ngaparou, Saly and Malicounda, to carry out beautification operations. This initiative is part of the authorities’ desire to make public spaces more welcoming in the run-up to this international sporting event, planned for a first in Africa.

For this day, around a hundred agents were mobilized. In total, 500 stem trees and 500 flower boxes have been announced, with palm trees and other landscaping intended to beautify the axes concerned. These interventions follow on from awareness-raising and decluttering operations already carried out in the same areas.

“We aim to reach all of Senegal. The Living Framework wants to be everywhere in Senegal, both in Dakar and in the depths of the country,” declared Bouna Seck, emphasizing the desire of its management to extend its actions beyond the capital. Beyond welcoming delegations and expected visitors, these developments also aim to improve the daily lives of local populations. The Director General thus insisted on the need for collective ownership of the initiatives undertaken.

“Every Senegalese, every local resident should be the ambassador of the living environment. Every Senegalese should say to themselves that the living environment depends on me and begins with me,” he said, calling on the populations to preserve the facilities put in place. If planting and beautification constitute an important step, their maintenance remains a major issue. Bouna Seck indicated that teams from the General Directorate of Living Environment are mobilized to monitor the developments. He also invited local authorities to become more involved in their maintenance.

The mayors of Ngaparou, Saly and Malicounda accompanied the operations and were willing to participate in monitoring the installations. For the authorities, the success of this initiative will depend as much on the work carried out as on raising awareness among residents and the sustainability of the developments after the YOG.