The Autonomous Port of Dakar (PAD) and the Organizing Committee for the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games (COJOJ) officially signed a partnership agreement this Wednesday at the PAD headquarters. The ceremony, held in the presence of port authorities and officials from the organizing committee, marks a new stage in the preparations for the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games.

Through this agreement, the two institutions intend to join forces to support the organization of this global event, which Senegal is preparing to host for the first time on the African continent. This partnership reflects the Port's commitment to playing an active role in the logistical, institutional, and symbolic success of the Games.

The Director General of the PAD, Waly Diouf Bodian, gave this signing a highly symbolic significance. "Today, by sealing this partnership with the COJOJ, the Autonomous Port of Dakar is not just signing an agreement, it is consecrating a symbolic alliance between matter and ideal, between volcanic stone and youthful energy, between the stability of the quay and the dynamism of departure," he declared.

He also emphasized the Port's commitment to a profound transformation. "The Autonomous Port of Dakar, today, is not living in contemplation of its past; it is reorienting it, projecting it forward, and accelerating it. I have taken on the responsibility of engaging all of our ports in a profound transformation, not as a simple administrative reform, but as a strategic overhaul," stated Waly Diouf Bodian.

For his part, the COJOJ coordinator, Ibrahima Wade, praised the scope of the speech and the importance of this partnership. "Mr. Director, your speech says it all about the importance of this partnership. I could have borrowed it and read it a second time," he stated, before conveying, through him, the thanks of the COJOJ president, Mamadou Diagna Ndiaye.

With this agreement, the Autonomous Port of Dakar confirms its ambition to be a central player in national development and a key partner in this major international event. As Dakar 2026 approaches, synergies are being strengthened to ensure the Games are an organizational success and a showcase of Senegalese expertise.