Leading a four-member delegation, the former speaker of the Parliament of Senegal Mamadou SECK, was in Songhai Regional Center in Porto-Novo from 9 to 13 September 2018. His visit is part of the development of a land in Mbao classified forest in Dakar. A project led by the NGOs ENDA THIRD WORLD and KINKELIBA of Senegal and which could extend to the whole country as it succeeds.
To carry out their project, the visitors came to draw inspiration from Songhai model, which is and remains, according to them, a model of unquestionable success. "What immediately seemed clear to us was to visit Songhai to see what is happening!" Said Fatou Sagna Sow, member of the delegation. The NGOs ENDA and KINKELIBA joined forces to ensure the protection of classified forests in Senegal, and in the same way, to offer a decent life to the surrounding populations, through agriculture. The experimental phase of this project will begin in Mbao forest in Dakar, where some 60 hectares of land have been granted to the project initiators by the government of Senegal. With time and with the success of the project, all the forests of Senegal will be covered, so as to keep the surrounding populations on the spot to develop their locality and fight against rural exodus.
In Songhai this Sunday, September 09, 2018, the delegation was greeted by the Director of Songhai Center who gave them a brief presentation of the site. Later on, they followed more detailed presentations and exchanged with the heads in the production units. This helped them better understand the functioning of Songhai integrated system, and decide on the type of partnership to be established with the Center.
Ten years after his first visit to Songhai, President Mamadou Seck cannot believe the success of the project and its survival over time. He had already been seduced back then, but more so this time, on his second visit. With a smile, the former speaker of Senegalese Parliament hinted that he should have implemented this project in Senegal a long time ago.