PRESIDENT of the Organizing Committee for the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, Mamadou Diagna Ndiaye, gave a speech at the Presidential Palace during a meeting of the Presidential Council focused on the event. With just under 320 days left until the opening ceremony, he praised the country's dedication and urged everyone to speed things up and stay "fully alert."
Image / Seneweb
A national priority
Mamadou Diagna Ndiaye said the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games are an "extraordinary event" because of the high hopes of people across Africa and the world.
He highlighted that under the leadership of the Head of State, the government has made the Youth Olympic Games a "national priority," as it plays a key role in achieving the Senegal 2050 National Transformation Agenda.
He specifically praised the effectiveness of the Interministerial Council, which was set up on October 15, 2024, by the Prime Minister.
The council adopted 40 measures that made it possible to "successfully move forward and address a wide range of issues that fall under your administration's responsibility."
Infrastructure: Situation "significantly improved"
When it comes to infrastructure, which once "seemed very challenging after a lot of stress and testing," the President of the COJOJ said the situation has "greatly improved" since the last visit by the President of the Republic to the sites on November 2, 2025.
He praised the "determination and effort" of the administration on this issue.
Although the overall status is "reassuring in terms of following the plan," Mamadou Diagna Ndiaye stressed the need for urgency: "We know that we need to speed things up at this stage of preparation because any delay, any delay in decision-making, or any failure to complete projects on time could put the event at risk."
He ended by calling for more unity: "Less than 320 days separate us from the opening ceremony.
The closeness of the event means we need even more support from everyone behind you and your government."
The main goal is to give Senegal a "victory that matches the brilliance of its people" and to reinforce the confidence that the global Olympic community has in the host country.