Since President Bassirou Diomaye Faye was sworn in on April 2, 2024, the terms "rupture," "sovereignty," "independence," and "national dignity" have dominated official discourse. For Babacar Lo Ndiaye, planner and president of the Fass-Jom Les Souverainistes party, these words "resonate in our hearts because they reflect the dream of a Senegal in control of its destiny." However, he asserts that "our sovereignty, for the moment, is only a facade, a political fiction skillfully orchestrated by the PASTEF party." According to him, the ruling party "wields populism and strong language," but lacks a "clear program and a strategic vision capable of leading Senegal toward real autonomy."

Unfinished monetary sovereignty

Babacar Lo Ndiaye points out that the monetary sovereignty promised by the government remains wishful thinking. "Our economy remains dependent on decisions made outside our borders," he notes. The CFA franc, which is supposed to give way to a national currency, remains "a vague project, with no timetable, no strategy, and no political courage." He notes that the Diomaye-Sonko duo had raised great hopes, but that "this long-promised sovereignty looks more like a political slogan than a structured project."

An illusory economic sovereignty

The planner also denounces an illusory economic sovereignty. "While the authorities proclaim autonomy, our resources continue to be exploited by foreign interests, often under the same conditions as twenty years ago," he laments. Raw materials leave the country without processing, local businesses lack support, and young people continue to dream of exile. "How can we talk about sovereignty when a state can neither feed, educate, nor employ its children with dignity?" he asks. On the diplomatic front, he criticizes a sovereignty "limited to declarations of intent." He accuses the Senegalese state of continuing to sign unbalanced agreements and relying on external aid. "As long as we are structurally dependent on foreign powers, we will remain in the position of a country receiving assistance rather than a sovereign country," he asserts.

A political staging

For the president of the Fass-Jom Party, the sovereignty advocated by the government "is nothing more than political decor, a staging to mask the lack of vision and strategy." He insists: "True sovereignty is not proclaimed: it is built in the fields, factories, laboratories, and schools." Producing locally, transforming wealth on site, investing in health, education, technology, and industry are, according to him, the foundations of real and lasting sovereignty.

For authentic sovereignty

Babacar Lo Ndiaye maintains that "sovereignty cannot be a slogan, much less an election slogan." It requires bold, sometimes painful, but structuring choices. He calls for a focus on local production, innovation, and national added value, otherwise "the country will remain a prisoner of an attractive but empty narrative." "Our independence was legal, but it was never economic, technological, industrial, or cultural," he emphasizes. "We replaced colonial authority with a national elite, without breaking with the structures that perpetuate dependence."

For him, the challenge facing the current generation is clear: to go beyond political independence to build real sovereignty, one that transforms local resources, promotes national expertise, and guarantees food, energy, and diplomatic autonomy. "Senegal deserves better than incantatory sovereignty. It deserves true economic and intellectual independence, capable of ensuring a dignified and free future for our children," he concludes.