DAKAR, Jan. 2 (Xinhua) -- In 2021, the government of Senegal will have to face, among other challenges, the challenges of working to revive its economy, which has been strongly affected by the health crisis, and to continue building infrastructure such as the Train regional express (TER), one of the flagship projects of the Emerging Senegal Plan (PSE) initiated by President Macky Sall.

During his address to the Nation on the occasion of the New Year 2021, the Senegalese President declared that 2021 would be the year of the revival of economic activity, despite the vagaries linked to COVID-19, the first case of which was was reported in the country on March 2.

The health crisis has led the Senegalese authorities to revise the outlook for economic growth downwards to just over 1% when it had been projected at 6.8%. Key sectors of its economy, such as transport and tourism, have been strongly impacted by the proclamation of the state of emergency, the curfew, the closure of land and air borders among others.

The Senegalese Minister of Economy Amadou Hott ruled out any risk of recession in the Senegalese economy, as did President Sall who mentioned good rainfall with record production expected in the cereal and groundnut sectors.

To get the Senegalese economy out of this situation, the politician and economic operator Mamour Cissé insisted on the need to bet on the adaptability of young Senegalese during this health crisis with in particular inventions of sanitized products and other devices intended to the fight against COVID-19.

Similarly, Mr. Cissé invited the Senegalese government to support small and medium-sized industries (SMIs) and the informal sector, which are job providers. For this, "the framework must be adequate and there must be vision and stable resources to achieve this ambition", he argued on private television ITV.

"We need substitute industries for imports. Today, agriculture needs to be at the heart of economic activity alongside businesses," he advised, recommending a return of young people. To the earth.

In this perspective, he suggested, the State of Senegal will have to continue the major works to play on the levers in order to be able to counterbalance the growth rate of just over 1%, a factor of poverty. .

This is an option recently reiterated by the Senegalese president who indicated that his government would continue efforts to structurally transform its economy by carrying out infrastructure projects essential to the emergence of the country.

In this regard, President Sall announced the launch in 2021 of the construction of the Mbour-Fatick-Kaolack highway over 100 km financed by China, and the Thiès-Tivaouane-Saint-Louis project over 167 km.

With regard to rail infrastructure, Mr. Sall mentioned the commissioning in 2021 of the Regional Express Train (TER), a project planned for the transport of passengers between Dakar and Blaise Diagne International Airport (AIBD), the second of which section to connect Diamniadio (Dakar suburb) to the AIBD in Diass (region of Thiès, west), is in an advanced phase of preparation.

The continuation of work on the bulk carrier port of Bargny-Sendou and the conclusion with a strategic partner of agreements for the construction of the port of the future in Ndayane on 1,200 hectares, are among other port infrastructures announced by the Senegalese president.

According to the Senegalese head of state, this labor-intensive project will help decongest Dakar and ensure other investments within the Special Economic Zone twinned with the port. End

NCN Limited of Xinhua News Agency

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