Touba: reflections on a more inclusive and job-creating economy

The question of the economy of Touba brought together, on Sunday September 27, 2026, several authorities and development actors around a forum organized by the WhatsApp platform “Ak Fi Rewmi Tolou 2”. The objective, according to the organizers, is to collect proposals and produce a document which will be made available to state and religious authorities.

The room of the Mbacké municipal complex refused people on Sunday. Several authorities, elected officials and development actors responded to the call from the WhatsApp platform “Ak Fi Rewmi Tolou 2”, which dedicated this meeting to the economic situation of the holy city of Touba.

On behalf of the organizers, agricultural engineer Mame Mor Ndiouck recalled that Mbacké is, demographically, the most populated department in Senegal. He also stressed that Touba Mosque, one of his communes, is among the main economic centers of the country. However, he noted, this economic dynamic does not sufficiently benefit the populations. “This does not benefit the population of Touba, because this economy is extroverted,” he said.

Panelist at this meeting, the General Delegate for Rapid Entrepreneurship for Women and Young People (DER/FJ), Dr Abdoulaye Niane, was interested in the question of the empowerment of young people and women and the role that the State must play. According to him, statistics from the National Agency for Statistics and Demography (ANSD) show that more than 47% of young men in the department are unemployed, without training and outside the education system. This proportion would be even higher among young women, where it is between 62% and 63%, he indicated.

This situation contributes, according to the General Delegate, to maintaining an economic fabric largely dominated by commerce, a sector which remains little provider of jobs, as well as by still underdeveloped crafts. “The Mbacké department precisely lacks a quality environment to enable the empowerment of young people,” he said.

Faced with this situation, Dr Abdoulaye Niane recommends rigorous measures on the part of the State, but also a mobilization of all stakeholders. In this context, he highlighted the role of the DER/FJ, which intervenes in particular in training, formalization and financing of economic activities.

In collaboration with the “Ak Fi Rewmi Tolou 2” platform, he also announced the establishment of a training center, which could operate both face-to-face and virtually. The General Delegate assured that he had given his agreement in principle, while inviting the organizers to take the necessary steps to make the project a reality.

The meeting was also marked by exchanges between the authorities and the various development stakeholders in the Mbacké department. MP Birima Mangara and Sokhna Maï Mbacké Diamil notably presented communications on the economic and social issues of the department.

At the end of the work, the “Ak Fi Rewmi Tolou 2” platform intends to compile the various reflections and proposals formulated during the forum. The document thus developed should be submitted to state and religious authorities in order to contribute to the reflection on the prospects for economic development of Touba and the department of Mbacké.