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Survey of a country where the public authority seems to have deserted the land
Arbitrator not found
In a functional democracy, the state is the impartial arbiter who ensures that the rules of the game are respected. He protects, organizes, supervises. Without him, it's the law of the strongest.
In Senegal, this arbitrator seems to have left the field for a long time. The result is a society where laws exist on paper, but where their application is too often dependent on chance, relationship or debugging.
The consequence? A disorder that settles in all areas: from traffic to urban planning, beach management, public hygiene and even... the silence of our nights.
On roads – The Kingdom of Improvisation
Peak hours: five out of three lanes
On a normal highway, three lanes two or three voices are provided. But in rush hours, Senegalese creativity transforms asphalt into five improvised lines... including on the emergency stop band. Supposed to be the life corridor of the rescue, it is here colonized by the rushed motorists.
Concrete case : in 2022, an accident on the section « Downtown – Patte d'Oie » paralyzed traffic. The firefighters, however close, took more than 45 minutes to reach the wounded. In some cases, these minutes cost lives.
Key figures
- +60% of serious accidents in Dakar occur during peak hours (source: ASEAN)
- 1 minute delay for rescue = 10% less chance of survival for some injuries.
At night: dazzling and invisibility
On the road to the airport, at night, two extremes come together:
- Vehicles running in the headlight, sometimes with handcrafted projectors
- Other completely invisible, without functional rear lamps.
In countries where the technical inspection is strict, a defective vehicle shall be immediately withdrawn from traffic. In Senegal, he continues his journey as if nothing had happened.
International comparison
- € and a withdrawal of points on the permit.
- Senegal: No systematic sanction, even in cases of obvious danger.
Phone behind the wheel: a deadly reflex
WHO recalls this: using a telephone by driving increases the risk of a serious accident by four. However, it is enough to observe a few minutes a Dakaroian crossroads to see several drivers a smartphone by hand. Here, the offence is rarely punished.
Out-of-age vehicles: rolling bombs
The fast buses, cultural pride but mechanical nightmare, circulates with tired brakes, smooth tires and bodywork ready to disintegrate. And yet they pass the technical check.
The Overloaded trucks, they roll in crab, threatening to reverse their loading on the road.
Aberrations of development: the Marist case
At the entrance of the Maristes motorway before the Patte d'Oie interchange, motorists must mark a stop... before entering the motorway. For those travelling to the old airport, they must cross all tracks to reach their direction by using the left lane. A daily Russian roulette.
Pedestrians and sidewalks – A city hostile to walking
In Dakar, the sidewalk is a theoretical concept. In reality:
- Traveling vendors set up stalls
- Carcases of cars are cramming in
- Gravats stagnate for months
As a result, pedestrians walk on the road, alongside cars and motorcycles in a dangerous ballet.
International comparison
- Tokyo: 99% of pavements are free and maintained
- Dakar: less than 30% of sidewalks can be used over 10 m without obstacles (local NGO estimate)
Ghost vehicles – When registration disappears
Cars without plates run every day, often official vehicles.
In an organized state, the absence of a plate immediately results in the vehicle being seized. Here, the absence of punishment leaves the door open to impunity.
Mid-village, mid-city
In peripheral areas, wild urbanization coexisted with domestic farming. Sheep and cows tied in front of the houses are not a rarity.
As a result: conflicts with traffic, hygiene issues, and the image of a city in perpetual improvisation.
Anarchic urbanism – The puzzle city
The real estate explosion turned Dakar into a chaotic patchwork.
The houses planned for one floor are added three or four levels, in an unbridled search for rent rent and often without technical study.
Even well-designed neighborhoods like Sicap or Centennial lose their architectural coherence.
Key figures
- +200% increase in building collapses in Dakar in 10 years (source: Ministry of Urbanism)
- 70% of recent constructions would not meet official standards
Beautiful neighborhoods, same evils
In Almadies, luxury villas and dirt roads coexist.
The absence of a sanitation network or public lighting system reminds us that the modernity displayed is often only a facade.
Coastal grabbing – A confiscated public property
The Dakarian coastline is almost entirely privatized. Open beaches are rare, often dangerous, and unsupervised. Every summer, the beaches of the Grande Côte record dozens of drownings.
The downgrading of the maritime domain has allowed privileged people to appropriate the sea, often on the pretext of public projects... transformed into private residences.
International comparison
- South Africa: strict law guaranteeing public access to 100% of the coastline
- Sénégal: less than 20% of the coast of Dakarois freely accessible to citizens
Noise pollution – The besieged nights
In many neighborhoods, the night rhymes with full volume sono. Religious priests, improvised concerts, private celebrations...
No real control of noise pollution, despite complaints from residents.
Traveller dogs and sacred cows
Thousands of wandering dogs roam the capital, carrying potential serious diseases such as rabies.
To this is added the belief that some wandering cows are « untouchable », which allows them to spread freely even in full circulation.
Overpopulation and sanitation puzzle
The Cape Verde peninsula, in its low areas, has one of the highest densities in the world. Infrastructure, already insufficient, does not follow.
Each remediation project becomes a financial abyss, with limited impact due to lack of planning.
Governance – The real node of the problem
These malfunctions are not just a question of financial resources.
They mainly reveal a structural weak governance :
- Misapplied laws
- Lack of planning
- Tolerance to Incivism
- Clientelism in public decisions
Re-entering the referee in the field
Out of this spiral is possible.
This requires:
- Real and constant roadside controls
- Planned and respected urbanization
- Effective protection of public spaces
- Strict regulation of noise pollution
- Secure access to the coast.
Without a credible and impartial arbitrator, anarchy will continue to undermine everyday life.
But with real political will and citizen mobilization, Senegal can still turn this disorder into a safer, fairer and more dignified environment.
