The mayor of Thiès, Babacar Diop, announced the initiation of extensive consultations with mining companies operating in the region, with the aim of strengthening their participation in local development. This statement was made during a forum dedicated to the governance of mineral resources, held on Saturday.
Babacar Diop highlighted the importance of a fair and equitable distribution of natural resources, an issue that he considers central to the stability of democratic societies. “The real issue lies in social justice and how resources and rights are distributed within our communities,” he said, while emphasizing that natural resources, under the Senegalese Constitution, belong to the people.
He also insisted on the need to organize a fair distribution of these resources in order to maintain confidence and stability in society. According to him, discussions around this theme must allow the authorities to provide concrete solutions to guarantee better governance of natural resources.
The mayor, however, recognized the indispensable role of multinationals in the exploitation of natural resources, while specifying that they are not philanthropic entities. “These companies come above all to make profits. However, their enrichment can only be tolerated if it supports the development of local communities,” he said.
Babacar Diop also denounced the negative consequences that these investments can cause, in particular pollution, excessive exploitation of populations and the impoverishment of local communities. He therefore called for measures aimed at ensuring that the activities of multinationals contribute concretely to improving the living conditions of populations.
