The civic and voluntary commitment of the populations of the Cité Lamy district of Thiès was crowned with first prize in the “Setal Sunu gox” competition as part of the national day of citizen mobilization “Setal Sunu Reew”. The second prize was won by the Diokoul Ndiourène district of Rufisque, while the third prize went to the village of Taïba Niassène (Nioro).
The “Setal sunu Gokh” challenge aims to distinguish the cleanest, most beautified neighborhoods and the best citizen initiatives to improve the living environment. It was launched during the seventh edition of the “Setal sunu reew” Citizen Mobilization Day by the Minister of Urban Planning, Local Authorities and Regional Planning, Moussa Bala Fofana. The first winner is the Cité Lamy district of Thiès. Diokoul Ndiourène from Rufisque and Taïba Niassene from Nioro complete the podium. Yesterday, in his speech at the official awards ceremony, Moussa Bala Fofana expressed his thanks to the valiant leaders of innovative initiatives and for the interest they show in the cleanliness of our cities, our neighborhoods, our villages and our public spaces.
For the Minister of Urban Planning, the residents of Cité Lamy have understood that the management of our common spaces remains a priority for shaping the image of our cities, in accordance with the objectives of the National Transformation Agenda. He argued that the Cité Lamy model prefigures the image of Senegal of tomorrow in terms of cleanliness and the improvement of the living environment. On behalf of the Head of State and the Prime Minister, Moussa Bala Fofana invited the recipients to maintain the course of citizen commitment for the monitoring and sustainability of the initiatives which earned them this distinction. The spirit of initiative to transform the living environment According to the Minister of Urban Planning, the three award-winning localities have demonstrated that community engagement, spirit of initiative and collective work can transform a neighborhood and make it a model of cleanliness and beautification for all Senegalese people with the determination to make them places where life is good.
He noted that the Cité Lamy district is now a source of inspiration for all Senegalese. This is why the government is committed to supporting it in its future projects. The Minister of Urban Planning invited the Eco-district associations to continue this momentum because he has the ambition to make Cité Lamy a true laboratory for innovation and sustainable development. To boost this new partnership with technical services, the Minister of Urban Planning decided to give them a batch of cleaning equipment, to install a standardized assembly point in the neighborhood, to offer training vouchers for the profession of paving and a financial envelope, but also to carry out landscaping of a strategic site in the district.
This process must generate healthy emulation on a national scale for the appropriation of public policies to combat unsanitary conditions. The mayor of the commune of Thiès Est, Ousmane Diagne, advocated for the restructuring of the Cité Lamy district which, despite appearances, suffers from the lack of an adequate subdivision plan. For his part, the mayor of the city of Thiès, Babacar Diop, launched an appeal for this initiative to catch on. He revealed that he had voted in the city’s 2025 budget for a special fund called “Jankhène” of 50 million CFA francs to support five most dynamic neighborhoods, taking the example of Cité Lamy.
Khadim Diop, president of the Entente des presidents des Eco-districts de Cité Lamy, expressed their pride at the recognition of their action which testifies to the importance of citizen action in building a more responsible society. He specified that the initiative is led by a group of committed young entrepreneurs, from various sectors, united by the desire to contribute to the development of our living environment.
