Territorial marketing: In Ziguinchor, the ARD wants to reposition local authorities

Meeting at the Board of Directors yesterday, the mayors of the Ziguinchor region and the Regional Development Agency (Ard) want to lay the foundations for a new strategic turning point by highlighting rapprochement with local authorities and the establishment of an ambitious dynamic of territorial marketing to better plan, attract and act. Thus, intends to help municipalities have more reliable planning documents.

ZIGUINCHOR- The large hall of the Ziguinchor Departmental Council displayed an unusual face yesterday. Around the same table, mayors and technicians outlined the contours of a new era for local authorities, based on planning and territorial marketing. Almost all the mayors of the region responded to the call, giving the meeting of the Board of Directors of the Regional Development Agency a particular significance. Speaking at the end of this interview, the director of the ARD, Bakary Sonko, recalled the meaning of this meeting.

“This meeting of the Board of Directors was held with the participation of almost all of the mayors of the region, which demonstrates a strong involvement of local authorities,” he indicated, before setting the strategic course. “The ARD, as the technical arm of communities, is now part of a new approach aimed at getting closer to its authorities and establishing a territorial marketing dynamic,” explained Mr. Sonko. In the room, the interventions followed one another in a climate of mutual listening. But behind the momentum displayed, the question of means arises with a certain acuteness. “We hope to be able to count on the necessary resources, in particular through the contribution of local authorities, without which the achievement of our objectives would remain difficult,” admitted Bakary Sonko.

A message received in a room where several elected officials have already made concrete efforts. “Since last year, we have observed a progressive mobilization of communities, and this is a very positive signal,” noted Bakary Sonko, recalling that “the success of the ARD benefits the entire region”. At this stage, the diagnosis is clear: only 50% of the municipalities in the region currently have planning documents. A figure considered insufficient. “We must provide all local authorities with these tools. The objective is to reach 100% by the end of the year,” insisted the director of the ARD.

According to him, these documents will allow municipalities to better structure their initiatives, attract partners and strengthen their capacity for action. In the concentrated atmosphere of the large room, a consensus seemed to emerge around the need to rethink local strategies. “It is becoming imperative to develop new approaches to mobilizing resources specific to local authorities,” said Bakary Sonko, thus opening the way to a broader reflection on the sustainability of local development.