From January 20th to 23rd, ALDA had the privilege of connecting with partners and friends in Dakar, Senegal to further our commitment to local democracy. This visit aligns with the expanded mandate adopted at ALDA’s 2024 General Assembly in Barcelona, exploring new opportunities to support local democracy beyond the EU and its neighbourhood.
In Dakar, we collaborated with two outstanding organisations: Enda ECOPOP and Éclaireuses et Éclaireurs du Sénégal. Together, we are driving initiatives to empower youth and women through community engagement, under the framework of the European Commission’s WYDE project, in partnership with the European Partnership for Democracy.
During the mission, ALDA met with Mr. Bachir Kanouté, Secretary General of IODP Africa (International Observatory on Participatory Democracy), and his team to discuss future collaboration in strengthening democratic participation.
Senegal remains a beacon of democracy in Africa, demonstrating extraordinary resilience. In discussions with partners working in Benin, Guinea, and neighbouring countries, we reaffirmed the importance of local-level initiatives in keeping the flame of democracy and dialogue alive.
We are excited to see the progress of our projects and look forward to expanding our network of members and partners. A heartfelt thank you to the ASWAT team of ALDA among which Giulia Sostero, Head of ASWAT: Africa, South West Asia, and Türkiye Department, Abdelaziz Bousleh, Regional Officer the ASWAT Department and Faty Babou, Grant manager WYDE Civic Engagement for organising this inspiring mission. Senegal, we’ll see you again soon!
