President BD Faye at FIARA: “Our food sovereignty is within our reach”

Senegal’s food sovereignty is within its reach, according to the President of the Republic, Bassirou Diomaye Faye. He was speaking on Saturday during a visit to the International Fair of Agriculture and Animal Resources (FIARA).

The President of the Republic, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, visited the International Fair of Agriculture and Animal Resources (FIARA) this Saturday, April 11, 2026. On this occasion, he renewed the government’s desire to achieve food self-sufficiency in the near future.

“By visiting this morning the International Exhibition of Agriculture and Animal Resources (SIARA), at the heart of FIARA, I measured all the vitality and potential of our agriculture. I saw women and young people at work who were committed, innovative and bringing concrete solutions for our country. Their determination reinforces a conviction: our food sovereignty is within our reach,” he said.

Also read: FIARA 2026: Mabouba Diagne calls for strengthening local consumption for sustainable food sovereignty

Thus, the Head of State affirmed that the government will continue to consistently support this strategic sector, supporting producers, strengthening value chains and accelerating transformation.

In fact, during this visit, President Bassirou Diomaye Faye brought a clear and constant vision: to make the agro-sylvo-pastoral and fisheries sector a pillar of sovereignty, wealth creation and jobs.

By promoting the commitment of producers, particularly women and young people, the Head of State places public action in a dynamic of structural transformation, based on the consolidation of value chains, support for production and the acceleration of local transformation.

“An assumed orientation, which reflects a national ambition: to build, over the long term, a strong, competitive and resilient agriculture”, we read on the presidency website.

Advances in the “Bay sa waae ci Senegaal” program praised

During his visit to the stand of the General Delegation for Rapid Entrepreneurship of Women and Youth (DER/FJ), President Faye expressed particular interest in the “Bay sa Waar ci Senegaal” program, the progress of which he praised.

This program, which he initiated and implemented by the DER/FJ, aims to modernize Senegalese agriculture through the installation of 3,000 integrated and intelligent farms throughout the territory. The pilot phase started with 50 farms, of which 20 are in the completion phase.

“Aligned with the Senegal 2050 National Transformation Agenda, the “Bay sa Waar ci Senegaal” program will contribute to food sovereignty, the creation of 150,000 jobs and the introduction of digital solutions in the agricultural sector, in order to make it more attractive, productive and competitive,” informs the DER/FJ.

It is urgent to note that this program primarily targets women and young people, by facilitating access to financing, training, land and markets, while structuring stakeholders into agricultural and community cooperatives.

Mariama DIEME