Interview – Mr. Samba FALL, Industry & Cleantech Advisor, Business France Senegal – Mauritania, answers questions prepared by AmeTrade Ltd as part of the SIM Senegal 2025 event.
On the eve of SIM Senegal 2025, Mr. Ousmane MBAYE, President of the Senegalese Chamber of Mines (CMDS), calls for a profound transformation of the African mining sector: moving from a purely extractive model to an economy that creates local added value.
Training, innovating, and structuring industrial ecosystems are the keys to industrialization driven by Africans, for Africa.
Making local content the driving force behind African industrialization: the vision of the Senegalese Chamber of Mines
— Mr. Ousmane Mbaye, President of the Chamber of Mines of Senegal (CMDS).
1. The CMDS reaffirms its commitment to defending the interests of the mining sector and promoting best practices. How does this mission translate in concrete terms to support the sustainable development of the industry in Senegal?
The Senegalese Chamber of Mines strongly reaffirms its commitment to defending the interests of the mining sector while promoting best practices. But beyond declarations of intent, this mission translates into concrete actions structured around a central objective: supporting the sustainable, inclusive, and responsible development of the mining industry in Senegal.
In practical terms, this begins with dialogue. The Chamber plays a key role as a platform between public actors, mining companies, local communities, and civil society. It works to create a climate of trust, which is essential for a sector as strategic as ours.
The Chamber also actively promotes the adoption of strict environmental and social standards in addition to other international standards and principles applied by mining companies, in particular the United Nations SDGs. It supports companies in implementing responsible practices, such as sustainable resource management, reducing the ecological footprint of operations, and rehabilitating sites after exploitation. This is our way of reconciling the mining industry with environmental protection.
On the economic and social front, we support local content. This means promoting employment for Senegalese people, encouraging local subcontracting, and strengthening the capacities of national SMEs. The Chamber also works to ensure that the benefits of mining activity are felt by local communities in a sustainable manner, particularly through the Local Development Fund.
Finally, we invest in transparency. As a partner of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), we advocate for clear governance, accessible contracts, and a better distribution of revenues from the sector.
In short, defending the interests of the sector means not only ensuring its competitiveness, but also ensuring that it is responsible, equitable, and valuable for all Senegalese. That is our vision of sustainable development.
2. You will be speaking during the session on value chain development. In your opinion, what are the main levers for making local content a strategic pillar of the continent’s industrialization?
Africa is currently at a strategic crossroads. With its abundant resources, dynamic youth, and rapidly growing domestic demand, the continent has everything it needs to transition from an extractive model to a truly productive one. At the heart of this transformation is a key concept: local content.
But what does it really mean to make local content a strategic pillar of African industrialization? It means integrating more value added locally and promoting African skills and resources at every stage of the value chain from production to processing, logistics to marketing.
Three main levers must be activated to achieve this:
1. Developing local skills and innovation.
Local content cannot be created without skilled human capital. It is imperative to invest heavily in technical education, vocational training, and applied research. Training engineers, technicians, and entrepreneurs means ensuring industrialization driven by Africans, for Africa.
2. Structuring local industrial ecosystems.
This involves creating synergies between local SMEs, multinationals, research centers, and institutions. Through special economic zones, targeted tax incentives, and public-private partnerships, governments must act as catalysts to foster the emergence of regional industrial clusters capable of meeting the needs of the continental and global markets.
3. Adapting public policies and strategically protecting industries.
Industrial policies must clearly target the upgrading of value chains. This can be achieved through local content quotas in public procurement, incentives for local purchasing, or temporary barriers to the import of processed products, until local champions emerge.
In conclusion, local content should no longer be seen as an administrative requirement, but as a strategic opportunity. It is time to promote “products made in Africa” as much as “products for Africa.” It is by producing more locally, with local resources and for African markets, that Africa will truly be able to take control of its economic destiny.
3. Several chambers of mining from different countries will be present at SIM Senegal 2025. Why is this regional meeting so important?
This year, the presence of several chambers of mining from different countries gives this event a particularly strategic and regional dimension. And this is no coincidence.
Why is this regional meeting so important?
Firstly, because we share common challenges: energy transition, responsible resource exploitation, local development, and the fight against illegal exploitation. No country can respond to these challenges alone. By bringing our Chambers of Mines together, we are creating frameworks for the exchange of experience, dialogue, and cooperation, capable of proposing concerted solutions adapted to African realities.
Secondly, this meeting is a lever for economic synergy. By connecting the mining ecosystems of the countries in the region, we are promoting cross-border partnerships, the harmonization of mining policies, and the emergence of regional value chains. This not only allows us to better exploit our resources, but also to strengthen our sovereignty over our natural wealth.
Let us reinforce these values through our regional and subregional organizations.
Finally, this exhibition is a showcase for mining in Africa. It sends a clear message: that of an Africa that collaborates, innovates together, and organizes itself so that mining becomes a real driver of sustainable development, serving the interests of its people.
So let us make this meeting not just a moment of exchange, but a starting point for stronger, more ambitious regional mining cooperation that is resolutely focused on the future.
4. As an associate sponsor of SIM Senegal, what are your expectations for this event and what message would you like to send to the various stakeholders (public authorities, investors, communities) in attendance?
It is an honor for us to be here today as an associate sponsor of SIM Senegal, a key event for the development of the mining sector in West Africa.
Our involvement in this event demonstrates our confidence in Senegal’s potential, as well as our desire to be a responsible, committed, and sustainable player in the transformation of the mining economy.
We see SIM as a strategic platform for dialogue and collaboration. Our expectations are clear:
– Strengthen synergies between public and private actors,
– Foster a transparent and predictable investment environment,
– And above all, promote inclusive mining that benefits not only investors but also local communities.
To the attention of public authorities, we welcome the efforts made to modernize the legal and institutional framework of the sector. We encourage the continuation of reforms that reconcile economic attractiveness, environmental protection, and social justice.
To investors, we say: Senegal is a land of opportunity. But investment
must be responsible, rooted in a long-term vision, and respectful of international standards in governance, security, and human rights.
Finally, to our partners in local communities, we want to reiterate our commitment: without you, no mining project can succeed in the long term. Your inclusion, well-being, and development are priorities. Ongoing dialogue, training, local employment, and support for community initiatives are at the heart of our approach.
In conclusion, we hope that this forum will not only be a meeting place, but also a catalyst for concrete action toward a more equitable, responsible, and promising mining sector for all.
Friday, October 10, 2025- Interviewed by Patricia Mercier, Senior Marketing Consultant – AME Trade Ltd.
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