In a statement during the program “Point de vue” on RTS this Sunday, April 28, 2024, architect Pierre Goudiaby Atépa revealed that the new authorities have ordered the cessation of all construction on the coast, and more particularly on the cornice.
“We, the defenders of the coast, are waiting for Prime Minister Sonko to say what he said, that he was going to raze everything. You know that they have stopped all construction on the coast, on the corniche, since before -yesterday. And I am personally delighted. Everything is stopped, everything is stopped to make the statements,” said Atépa.
This decision puts a stop to several decades of illegal encroachment on the public maritime domain, denounced by Atépa for years. According to him, mafia-like practices allowed crooked developers to acquire coastal land at low prices before having it downgraded to private land and reselling it at a high price.
“People will buy land that belongs to you at 2,450 francs per square meter. We are granted a lease. We organize to have it declassified. They take this land title, they take it to the bank which gives them 1 million per square meter. They sell for 1.5 million.
The systematic grabbing of the coastline for the benefit of private interests has also deprived citizens of free access to beaches, formerly open to all. “When we were young, we went swimming at Téroubi. Today, your children have to pay 15,000 FCFA to go swimming,” lamented Atépa.
Although a supporter of supervised hotel developments on the coast, the famous architect advocates reasoned and concerted development of the coastline, citing the example of Morocco which had 400 coastal buildings destroyed.
This moratorium on construction marks a turning point in the battle waged by Atépa and other coastal defenders. They now hope for complete and lasting sanitation to return this “national heritage” to citizens.
