The municipalities of the Ziguinchor region in southern Senegal now have the human capital to implement solid waste collection and recycling projects.
In Senegal, a training workshop on sanitation has just ended in the Ziguinchor region, 435 kilometres from the capital Dakar. It was aimed at 95 local authority staff, notably from the municipalities of Niaguis, on the border with Guinea-Bissau, and Oussouye, which has a population of 52,000.
The trainees were taught how to collect and recycle solid waste in these seaside areas, where commercial activities generate tonnes of industrial and food waste. According to the Promoged project to promote the integrated management and economy of solid waste in Senegal, this initiative, which focuses on cleanliness, will help to make Senegal more economically attractive.
According to the deputy governor of Ziguinchor, who is in charge of administrative affairs, the 95 agents will be responsible for promoting waste recycling in their respective municipalities. “The beneficiaries of the training will be able to fully understand and carry out their duties and responsibilities, so that waste becomes a resource that creates jobs and wealth for our national economy”, explained Sidi Guissé Diongue.
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In recent years, the Senegalese government has made hygiene and sanitation a central part of its territorial policy, investing 70 million CFA francs (1.1 million euros) to set up waste collection points. In August 2023, for example, Promoged installed 29 such points in the Senegalese capital, with the aim of facilitating the transport of household waste to dedicated treatment centres.
Benoit-Ivan Wansi