Dakar Mayor responds to Prime Minister over Place de l'Indépendance works

The Mayor of Dakar, Abass Fall, has issued a response to Prime Minister Ahmadou Al Aminou Lô regarding the ongoing renovation of Place de l'Indépendance. The Prime Minister recently announced plans to visit the construction site, following a general policy declaration on September 8, 2026.

In a communiqué, the Dakar municipality clarified that Place de l'Indépendance is not designated as a competition or celebration site for the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games (YOG). The city also addressed funding, noting that the 5 billion FCFA state subsidy provided for the YOG is fully allocated to specific investments, including roadworks, public lighting, branding, and boulevard improvements.

The municipality reported that it has independently committed 13 billion FCFA to various urban beautification projects. The Place de l'Indépendance project specifically accounts for 744 million FCFA. According to the Mayor, the site is more than 80% complete and is expected to be delivered by mid-October 2026. The city further noted that the Prime Minister had previously rejected the municipality's request for funding for this specific site during budget arbitrations.