Minister Balla Moussa Fofana detailed the structural challenges facing Senegal in the areas of housing, urban planning, territorial governance, and civil registration. During his address at the plenary session reviewing his department's budget on Tuesday, December 9, 2025, he reiterated "the scale of the ongoing reforms, in a context where the country suffers from a chronic housing shortage and persistent dysfunctions in local governance."

A shortage of more than 500,000 homes: “When construction is booming, everything is booming”

The minister points out that in 2013, a study conducted with the World Bank estimated housing needs at 300,000 units, driven by strong population growth. However, despite programs launched since then, annual production has never exceeded 12,000 units. The result: a cumulative deficit of over 500,000 units. "You only need to take 500,000 units and multiply it by 20 million to understand the scale of the financial challenge," he emphasizes, highlighting the need to build a robust investment ecosystem to make housing accessible.

In the National Assembly, he advocated for a revision of the social housing law and an integrated program mobilizing public and private investment. The proposed measures range from tax and land incentives to making quarries available and creating an industrial zone at exit 5 dedicated to construction materials and processes.

Land ownership, “one of the regime’s most important challenges”

The minister acknowledges that land issues remain one of the most sensitive topics. The reform, he says, does not fall under the purview of a single ministry: "it involves a National Commission, local authorities, as well as the technical authorities responsible for planning."

He calls for strict adherence to urban planning schemes and planning principles: protection of forests, preservation of agricultural land, management of risk zones, and integration of industrial areas and quarries,” he said. To limit local excesses, the ministry is developing a hectare-by-hectare map of the territory, identifying uses, risks, and projections.

The aim is to make it a legally binding law for mayors and local stakeholders, in order to better regulate land-use decisions. "We must protect agricultural land and forests, and ensure that a housing development is never built in a flood zone or wetland," the minister emphasized.

Decentralization: 130 local authorities to be audited soon

A national development plan and a draft law on regional development hubs have been finalized, according to the minister, who said he had received instructions from the Prime Minister to expedite their implementation. In this context, he asked the 14 governors, prefects, and relevant departments to produce a comprehensive assessment. "Audit teams will be sent to 130 local authorities to evaluate management and compliance with procedures. The reports will be shared with the Court of Auditors," he said. Drawing on his twenty years of experience in Europe and North America, the minister said he understands the extent of the housing difficulties faced by the diaspora.

The government is thus preparing a national housing access platform, which will allow for: "verifying developers, centralizing reliable offers, facilitating relationships with banks, and quantifying actual demand." An interministerial council on housing has been requested by the Prime Minister.

Local government strike: physical audit and future of the local civil service

Addressing the strike by local government employees, the minister indicated that 16,000 new hires have already been made, often on temporary contracts offering salaries of 60,000 to 80,000 francs. A physical audit of municipalities is underway, along with ongoing collaboration with the Civil Service and Finance ministries to stabilize the system, according to the minister. The goal, he stated, is to move towards a local civil service model to ensure clearer and fairer employment status.

Civil registration: 30 million records, 20 million of which are digitized

The issue of civil registration remains "fundamental." Senegal has approximately 30 million records (births, deaths, marriages), 20 million of which are digitized. The continuation of this process is under discussion with the European Union, with the possibility of additional funding. "As long as the registers remain paper-based, we will have problems," warns the minister, calling for complete and secure digitization. This set of reforms, he affirms, is part of the presidential vision for a 50-year transformation, centered on territorial development and the harmonization of public policies. An ambition which, according to him, begins with land control, urban planning, local governance, and the reliability of the civil registry.