By declaring 2026 the "Year of Employment and the Social and Solidarity Economy", President Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar Faye is placing decent employment, economic inclusion and solidarity at the heart of national priorities, said the Minister of Microfinance and the Social and Solidarity Economy.

According to Alioune Dione, this strategic decision comes in a context marked by the need to provide sustainable answers to the challenges of professional integration, the creation of local wealth and the strengthening of social cohesion.

Through this choice, the head of state intends to make the social and solidarity economy (SSE) a central lever for economic and social transformation in service of the population, particularly young people and women.

For the minister, this presidential directive confers a particular responsibility and an obligation to achieve results. It implies an acceleration of reforms, a better structuring of the sector, and an alignment of public actions with national ambitions in terms of employment and inclusive development.

"We cannot declare a year dedicated to the social and solidarity economy without giving it real, operational and measurable content," stressed Alioune Dione during a strategic planning workshop.

For him, 2026 must mark the transition from intentions to concrete achievements, through public policies capable of directly impacting the living conditions of social economy actors.

The year 2026 is thus expected to be a year of realization, in particular through the effective implementation of the framework law on the social and solidarity economy and its implementing decrees.

This long-awaited step is considered essential to provide the sector with a clear legal framework, conducive to the emergence of structured and viable solidarity initiatives.

Among the identified levers is the development of solidarity-based production cooperatives, conceived as an operational tool for job creation, the promotion of local expertise, and the pooling of resources. Initial experiments conducted in certain sectors, particularly paving, suggest significant potential for sustainable employment.

Beyond the symbols, the year of employment and the social and solidarity economy aims to be a year of action, results, and measurable impact. It seeks to reposition the social and solidarity economy as a full-fledged pillar of national development, complementing the traditional private sector and public action.

Thus, according to the minister, by dedicating 2026 to employment and the social and solidarity economy, President Faye is sending a strong message: that of a Senegal resolutely turned towards a more inclusive, more united and more equitable development model.