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Government press conference: The failures of a communication exercise

Auteur: Mbaye Sadikh

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Conférence de presse du gouvernement : Les ratés d’un exercice de communication

The government held a press conference last Friday, October 10th. But this announcement barely went unnoticed. And yet, three ministers were expected to host the conference, not to mention the new government spokesperson.

So it must have been a strong moment in terms of public communication.

However, the affair is almost a non-event. Almost all the major daily newspapers have given it a small share, apart from "Le Soleil" (naturally!) and "Walf Quotidien".

It is true that this lack of visibility may be linked to an unexpected news item: the downgrade of Senegal's rating, which stole the spotlight from all the news of the day. This news item occupied the front pages of most of the press.

But the press conference also coincided with a Lions match day. This major event had to be taken into account by the government spokesperson. By failing to analyze the national agenda, the organizers deprived the press conference of greater visibility.

And all of this points to what appears to be a lack of preparation for the conference. It seems that not all the necessary guarantees were taken before the event took place. Otherwise, how can we understand why, out of three announced ministers, only two showed up, and why one left before the end of the meeting?

Indeed, the Minister of Hydraulics and Sanitation, Cheikh Tidiane Dièye, left the meeting before the end because he had to fly to attend a ceremony he was supposed to preside over. As for the Minister of the Interior, Bamba Cissé, not only did he not show up, but no explanation was given for his absence.

Moreover, when reading the note from the Ministry of the Interior, the spokesperson began by "thanking the two ministers who agreed to come and report to the people. This is a directive that the President gave us, followed by the Prime Minister."

This passage, added to the lack of explanation, tends to suggest that Mr. Bamba Cissé did not want to comply with the exercise.

Why then put his name down if he's not up for it? Why set the conference on a day and time that doesn't suit one of the presenters who has to go on a trip?

All this shows the shortcomings that there were in this first exercise which must nevertheless be acknowledged.

Furthermore, communication objectives must be clearly defined before speaking. The press conference is not an end in itself. When a member of the government is brought in, it is not so that he or she can take stock of his or her department. We are not at the midpoint of the mandate. Of course, he or she can answer all the journalists' questions related to his or her ministry. But in his or her initial communication, he or she must have a strong message to convey. It needs to be short, clear, and concise. In other words, it is not necessary to speak for 15 to 20 minutes at the opening, as Moustapha Guirassy and Cheikh Tidiane Dièye did. This formula makes the conference last (more than 2 hours), which becomes tiresome, in addition to drowning out the key message(s).

Next, the choice of topics remains essential. The theme must be interesting and current. For example, there's little point in coming to talk about flooding and sanitation in mid-October, when the rainy season is coming to an end. Marie Rose wanted to explain the link between education, sanitation, and future social safety nets, but the truth is that sanitation is certainly an important topic, but not a current issue.

Finally, the communication took place exclusively in Wolof. Marie Rose explained the choice by the need to appropriate national languages and the importance of feeling proud to use them. But this ambition does not exclude a short summary in French. Not only does French remain the official language of Senegal despite sovereignist intentions, but it also allows for the inclusion of the foreign community and some Senegalese who do not speak Wolof.

All these points are without taking into account Marie Rose Faye's attitude, which was not very diplomatic in her approach. "She was too rigid, not very conciliatory. It was as if she was trying to impose herself," said a colleague who attended the conference.

All this to say that the idea of reporting to the people is a great initiative. But it would require rigorous work for the exercise to succeed. We dare to hope that the second one will be more accomplished in terms of casting, the choice of themes, and other aspects that go with it.

Auteur: Mbaye Sadikh
Publié le: Mercredi 15 Octobre 2025

Commentaires (13)

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    me il y a 1 jour

    Gouvernement de GOUGNAFIERS.!!!

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    Malheureux copier-coller il y a 1 jour

    Pourquoi copier cet exercice Nul que faisait les Ministres de l'ancien régime ? Pourquoi les gens ne sont plus imaginatifs en matière de communication. Lorsqu'on n'a rien à dire, vaut mieux se taire. Un porte parole du gouvernement brillant suffit pour ça dans une équipe gouvernementale bien sûr solidaire et...travailleuse.

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    Dfg il y a 1 jour

    Marie rose tu es jeune.Donc pas dz conf de presse a lancienne.Fais me comme a la Maison blanche.Debout,rapide tu reponds aux questions.de temps en temos tu faos venir un ministre.Face to face avec leq journalistes.30 minutes.Jekhna

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    La il y a 1 jour

    Mor Mbaye Cissé le pseudo journaliste qui signe pour d’autres xalis diaroul li

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    pastef les katriotes il y a 1 jour

    Donc tout journalistes qui ne prete pas allegence au gourou de SB et qui critiquent le gouvermeent de gougnafiers est corrompu?

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    ALPHA il y a 1 jour

    Ce gouvernement ne cesse de faire preuve d'incompétence. Il est évident qu'il y a eu tromperie sur la marchandise. Personne ne s'attendait à une telle série d'errements de la part du Pastef, tant les discours, les promesses et les engagements de l'époque de l'opposition semblaient convaincants et porteurs d'espoir.

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    presque pitié d'eux il y a 1 jour

    Dans quelques temps quand cette jeunesse trompée va devoir regarder la vérité en face (vos mensonges, vos caisses noires, salaires, voitures de luxe, maisons, femmes... pendant qu'eux souffrent et doivent attendre 2050...) vous risquez gros. Continuez votre cinéma rék, on verra bien si ça rempli le ventre. Si Andry au Madagascar a fini par fuir le pays, un client qui ne propose rien subira forcément le même sort...

  • image
    La il y a 1 jour

    Nane Len ndakh dilatez vos cœurs 🤣🤣🤣 opposition de salon

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    Fall il y a 1 jour

    Cette porte parole confond son rôle à celui du bic gouv et même du Ministère de la communication. Sa rencontre avec les patrons de presse en dit beaucoup. Il est temps de rectifier.
    Confiez la com a de vrais professionnels

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    Go ahead il y a 1 jour

    Surtout n'écoutez pas ces analystes à deux balles soi-disant spécialistes en communication. KHAMOUGOU DARRA.
    Vous êtes sur la bonne voie, foncez et communniquez à votre manières.

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    Julio il y a 1 jour

    Pas de soucis. LA super majorite des Senegalais savent ca. Les journaux et ceux qui commentent sur ce site sont tous paye par les detourneurs de fond publique opposant milliardaires.

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    JULIO II il y a 1 jour

    Changez de perspective et de lunettes; vous saurez que tous les opposants ne sont pas milliardaires! Et loin de là!

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    porozet il y a 1 jour

    le ministre de l’Hydraulique et de l’Assainissement Cheikh Tidiane Dièye a quitté la rencontre avant la fin parce qu’il devait prendre l’avion pour assister à une cérémonie qu’il devait lui-même présider. Quant au ministre de l’Intérieur, Me Bamba Cissé, non seulement il ne s’est pas présenté, mais aucune explication n’a été donnée sur son absence.

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    L'enseignant en vacances il y a 1 jour

    J'avoue que la dame ressemble plus a un membre dun gouvernement russe. Elle est rigide. Mais lolou dokhoul Sénégal dh. Fii kilifeu meune neu ame fouleu teksi neikh deereet

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    You il y a 1 jour

    Un idiot qui n'a rien a Faire de son Temps ose sortir de kaka pareils pour critiquer de braves gens qui font le necessaire pour que toi et ton pere puissent avec du fucking thiép a midi de puissent dormir paisiblement en lachant des pèts de Haut Niveau.

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    verité il y a 14 heures

    ils communiquent sur quoi? Bilan zéro. il faut travailler a sortir les populations de TOUBA et du DANDEMAYO des eaux. les gens sont très fatigués.

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    PATRIOTE il y a 13 heures

    le gens cherche a manger .talou niou wakh matin midi soir

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