Drinking water and sanitation security are at the heart of the Ministry of Hydraulics and Sanitation's new sectoral policy. This is why, as part of the Invest in Senegal 2025 Forum, Minister Dr. Cheikh Tidiane Dièye, the World Bank, and the Senegalese National Sanitation Office (ONAS) signed a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) transaction advisory mandate in the sanitation sector. The official signing ceremony took place on Monday, October 7, in the presence of the Vice President and Head of Risk, Legal, and Administrative Affairs of the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency, Ethiopis Tafara; the Regional Director for West Africa of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), Olivier Buyoya; the IFC Country Director; and the Director General of ONAS, Séni Diène; among others.

Construction of a wastewater treatment plant in Tivaouane Peulh

This is the advisory mandate with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) for the construction of the Tivaouane Peulh wastewater treatment plant, in a Public-Private Partnership (PPP). According to the Director General of ONAS, this signature is "a new act which clearly reflects the level of confidence in the new sanitation policy of the Ministry of Hydraulics and Sanitation with its head Dr. Cheikh Tidiane Dièye, who is working to implement the guidelines of the President of the Republic, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, and his Prime Minister, Ousmane Sonko." It also translates into action "a strong recommendation that comes up during the various meetings: the diversification of funding sources and the exploration of new financing mechanisms."

"This signing comes at a pivotal time with an increase in sanitation needs, particularly in terms of wastewater collection and treatment in the Dakar suburbs, which are experiencing unprecedented demographic exposure," Mr. Séni Diène stressed.

He added: "Based on the experience that the Ministry, through ONAS, has capitalized on in the implementation of structuring projects, I am confident that the cooperation between Senegal and the World Bank through this new project will meet the expectations and well-being of the populations."

This is the Integrated Water Security and Sanitation Project (PISEA) which will provide a collective network to the greater Dakar suburbs, namely: Sam Notaire, Wakhinane Nimzatt, Ndiarème Limamoulaye, Golf Sud, Médina Gounass, the western part of Yeumbeul Sud, Yeumbeul Nord and Keur Massar. Here, the construction of 400 km of network, around twenty pumping stations, a 39,000 m3/day treatment plant and a transfer of treated water to Djender, an area par excellence for market gardening production is planned.

“Our country is facing increasing water stress”

For the Minister of Hydraulics and Sanitation, this ambitious project, financed by the World Bank, is an important pillar of his ministry's strategy to guarantee water for all, for all users, today and for future generations. "In accordance with the conclusions of the strategic study on water security conducted in 2022 in collaboration with the World Bank, our country is facing increasing water stress. This reality is not a simple statistical projection; it is a tangible threat to our economic development, our food security, the resilience of our cities, and the health of our populations," Minister Cheikh Tidiane Dièye indicated.

"Thus, the challenges are multiple. They are manifested through an exploding demand for water under the combined effect of population growth, accelerated urbanization, industrial growth and the needs of strategic and water-intensive agriculture. This, in the face of a supply that is increasingly variable, uncertain and weakened by the effects of climate variability and change," he added.

Faced with this complex equation, the minister believes that diversifying our water production sources has become "not only a necessary, but irreversible path." According to him, "it is an imperative of sovereignty and resilience."

According to Dr. Cheikh Tidiane Dièye, this project for a wastewater treatment plant in Tivaouane Peulh, integrated into the sanitation works of the eastern system of the Dakar region, in appearance technical, is "bearing a double revolution, a double innovation which makes it a pioneering initiative in West Africa."

“The first innovation is technical and environmental. It is not simply a matter of treating wastewater and discharging it into the sea. The Tivaouane Peulh project is designed according to the principles of the circular economy. The treated effluent, once purified according to the most demanding standards, will be transferred to the Niayes area, the market gardening lung of our capital. Thus, this water, formerly considered waste, will become a leading unconventional water resource. It will be reused for irrigation and recharging groundwater. This will thus support urban and peri-urban agriculture, creating wealth, strengthening our food security and preserving water resources, which are overexploited in this vulnerable pocket of the Dakar, Thiès and Mbour Triangle, commonly known as DMT. This virtuous loop, which transforms a sanitation problem into an opportunity for agricultural development, is a perfect illustration of what Integrated Water Resources Management should be in an urban environment.” "It is a paradigm shift that we are concretely activating today," he explained.

The second innovation, he adds, "is financial and institutional. Aware of the constraints on public finances, we have decided not to carry out this project alone. It will be carried out within the framework of a Public-Private Partnership (PPP). This approach aims to demonstrate, once again, Senegal's desire to diversify the sources of financing for its economic development. It involves calling on the expertise, efficiency, and capital of the private sector, with a view to rationalizing and optimizing the use of public funds. The PPP allows us to pool risks and guarantee the sustainability of the service through a clear sharing of responsibilities and skills."

Finally, the minister maintained that the signing of this advisory mandate today is much more than an administrative formality. "This is the official launch of a strategic partnership. It is the strong signal we are sending to the financial community and private investors, gathered here for the Invest in Senegal Forum: Senegal is open for business, and innovative, sustainable, and structuring projects find a very favorable framework here. By signing this mandate, we are not only committing resources, we are committing our future. A future where every drop of water counts, where waste becomes a resource, and where the public and private sectors join forces for the well-being of the Senegalese," he insisted.