Prominent figures in the governments of former President Abdoulaye Wade, several former ministers and officials of the Senegalese Democratic Party (PDS) have gradually disappeared from the national political scene after the 2012 change of power. Once omnipresent in the public debate, these former dignitaries are now much more discreet.

Sada Ndiaye: From the "Sada Ndiaye Law" to Political Discretion

Former MP, ex-mayor of Nguidjilone and former director of Sicap, Sada Ndiaye remains associated with the famous law that bears his name, passed in 2008. This text reduced the term of the president of the National Assembly from five years to one year renewable, causing at the time Macky Sall to leave the chair and marking the beginning of his break with Abdoulaye Wade.

Appointed Minister for Senegalese Abroad in 2009, then Minister of the Civil Service, Sada Ndiaye was also responsible for elections within the PDS party. After several years in opposition to Macky Sall, he eventually joined the presidential coalition and became one of his supporters in the Fouta region. His political career, however, suffered a setback after his defeat in the 2022 municipal elections in Nguidjilone against Samba Leldo Seck.

Coumba Gaye: the former icon of liberal youth

A former deputy minister in charge of Human Rights and the Protection of Vulnerable Groups, and later Minister of Youth under Wade, Coumba Gaye embodied the rising, uninhibited young guard of the PDS. One of President Wade's closest confidants, she distinguished herself through her incisive media appearances and her fighting spirit during the height of the 2012 protests.

After the fall of the liberal regime, she endured a long period of political obscurity, marked by legal troubles related to audits of her administration. Although she attempted a comeback through local support movements, the former leader of the liberal youth movement has largely faded from the media spotlight in Dakar.

Oumou Khaïry Guèye Seck: the former head of Livestock

A trained veterinarian, Oumou Khaïry Guèye Seck made her mark on the Wade governments through her long tenure at the Ministry of Livestock. She led several sensitive projects, notably the fight against avian flu in the 2000s and the organization of livestock supply for the Senegalese market during Tabaski.

Very active on agricultural and food safety issues, she regularly represented Senegal at international meetings before leaving the government after Macky Sall came to power in 2012.

Maïmouna Sourang Ndir: from minister to ambassador

An influential member of the PDS, Maïmouna Sourang Ndir held several ministerial portfolios between 2002 and 2007, including Social Development, SMEs and Microfinance, as well as Living Environment and Leisure.

In 2009, she was appointed Senegal's ambassador to France, while also representing Dakar to Monaco and Andorra. However, following the regime change in 2012, she was recalled to Senegal as part of the diplomatic reorganization undertaken by the new government.

Thérèse Coumba Diop: a technocrat committed to gender equality

Trained as an engineer, Thérèse Coumba Diop held several strategic positions between 2009 and 2012, notably in the Ministries of Health, Social Action and Relations with Institutions.

Before joining the government, she had built a solid career in the transport and maritime logistics sectors. She had also distinguished herself in promoting the law on parity and women's participation in political life.

Seynabou Ly Mbacké: the microfinance expert

Former Minister of Women's Entrepreneurship and Microfinance, Seynabou Ly Mbacké had established herself as a figure in finance and the economic empowerment of women.

After leaving the government in 2012, she continued her activities in the private and non-profit sectors through the Network of Women Micro-Entrepreneurs of Senegal (REFEMES), while continuing to work on projects related to youth employment and women's financing.

Nafi Diouf Ngom: the technocrat of major infrastructure projects

A former Minister of Land Transport, Rail Transport, and Regional Planning under Abdoulaye Wade, Nafi Diouf Ngom embodied the highly technocratic component of the liberal regime. A brilliant graduate of the École Polytechnique in Paris (EPP), this leading engineer was entrusted with the management and modernization of national transport networks, a sector then considered the showcase of the "grand projects" of the builder president.

During her time at the head of this super-ministry, she led strategic projects related to opening up and reorganizing the territory. After the 2012 change of government, Nafi Diouf Ngom chose to withdraw from partisan politics to return to her first passion: high-level technical expertise and engineering consulting, putting her skills to work on development projects, far from the media spotlight.

Faustin Diatta: a shortened stint in Sports

Originally from Oussouye, Faustin Diatta served as Minister of Social Affairs before heading the Ministry of Sports under Wade. His time at the head of the Sports department was marked by tensions surrounding athletes' bonuses during the Maputo African Games and the Women's Afrobasket, a crisis that led to his dismissal in 2011.

Trained as an agricultural engineer, he then moved away from the forefront of the political scene, pursuing consulting and expertise missions in the Senegalese administration and in rural development projects.

Fourteen years after the end of the Wade regime, several of these former ministers now live far from the political turmoil that once punctuated their daily lives at the top of the state.