The land sector in Senegal continues to be a source of social tensions, financial losses, and security risks. Although the 2026 budget of the Ministry of Urban Planning, Local Authorities, and Territorial Development amounts to 270.8 billion FCFA, confirming the State's commitment to strengthening planning, a report presented to a parliamentary committee warns of the persistence of major challenges.

According to the report, land disputes continue to grow, saturating the courts with cases of double allocations, contested designations or decisions made outside of planning regulations.

The 2045 Programme, dedicated to urban and rural planning and development and endowed with 102 billion FCFA, aims to structure the space.

However, the finance committee notes that this planning remains largely outdated by demographic pressure and rapid urbanization.

Spoliation, Irregularities and Anarchic Occupation

The report highlights that land grabbing remains a major problem. Illegal sales of public land, falsification of titles, opaque transfers, and irregular allocations are still far too common. Despite the 124.8 billion FCFA allocated by Program 2087 to strengthen the capacities of local authorities, the situation on the ground remains worrying.

According to the report, “many neighborhoods are being built without regard for urban planning regulations. Unplanned areas, occupied public spaces, construction on easements, and extensions onto agricultural land expose residents to major risks, such as recurring flooding, lack of roads, and community conflicts.” Program 2135, which allocates 20 billion CFA francs for housing and living conditions, is struggling to contain this phenomenon, particularly around Dakar, Thiès, and Saint-Louis.

Members of parliament in committee also noted the "administrative burdens." The lack of a digitized land registry, vulnerable paper registers, and incomplete files complicate the regularization and registration processes. Although Program 1580, with a budget of 4.6 billion FCFA, aims to modernize administrative management, progress remains limited, the report emphasizes.

Faced with this situation, the report insists on the need for structural reforms: accelerating digitalization, strengthening the legality control of local government actions, revising property regimes, transparency in real estate projects and increased involvement of the population in local governance.

For the members of parliament, land is a matter of social peace, security, and territorial sovereignty. "As long as disputes, dispossession, and uncontrolled occupation persist, territorial development will remain fragile," the report concludes.