By Mbaye Sadikh
President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, launching the “Dundal JOJ” initiative, announced to the nation that the Senegal Solidarity Foundation, founded by his wives, will contribute half a billion CFA francs to the Youth Olympic Games. This includes 200,000 tickets for schools and associations — in short, for children from disadvantaged neighbourhoods — so they can participate in the festivities. “The First Lady has instructed me to inform you that she will contribute 500 million CFA francs through the Senegal Solidarity Foundation.”
This statement immediately echoes another from a sitting president: “Karim, I’ll tell your mother you’ve done a good job.” Former President Abdoulaye Wade was speaking to his son, Karim Wade, after learning about the progress of the construction projects for the OIC summit. We know what happened next. Karim Wade found himself at the heart of state affairs, with a ministerial portfolio that earned him the nickname “Minister of Heaven and Earth”.
In a scholarly article on Marième Faye Sall, researchers Ibrahima Sarr and Mouminy Camara reminded us that “there is no single role of First Lady, but rather diverse interpretations of her place, status, and duties.”
By agreeing to act as a spokesperson for the first ladies, President Bassirou Diomaye Faye opened the door to all sorts of interpretations regarding the status and power of his wives. He sent a message to “generous donors” who might think they can leverage the real or perceived influence of the president’s wives to advance a cause. One thing is certain: his statement will fuel the debate on the role of first ladies within the circle of power.
Furthermore, President Bassirou Diomaye Faye is giving his opponents ammunition regarding political or special funds. Indeed, the foundation was launched in April 2026, just five months ago. How could this newly-established organisation have found half-a-billion CFA francs for the Youth Olympic Games alone, not to mention other initiatives already underway, such as the 53 mills distributed by Marie Khone Faye in the Fatick region? Especially given the current economic downturn.
Adding to these questions is the timing. Bassirou Diomaye Faye made the announcement in a context where Senegalese people are loudly and clearly expressing their dismay at the high cost of living. His message, coming the day after the march against high prices, sounds like a sign of contempt for the people. But it may also send the wrong message to international partners who are demanding greater transparency in the management of public funds.
“His powers are more extensive than those of the Prime Minister.”
The statement by Bassirou Diomaye Faye brings back painful memories for Senegalese people, memories they thought had been buried for good. Indeed, with Wade’s rise to power, Karim Wade unofficially served as his father’s advisor for the first two years. His sister, Sindjély, was Wade’s assistant and already had the power to decide who should be minister of sports. According to Abdou Latif Coulibaly, Wade’s daughter imposed Youssoupha Ndiaye on the Ministry of Sports, bypassing Joseph Ndong, whom she had even replaced during the 2002 World Cup.
Karim, for his part, was officially appointed advisor to the president in April 2003. In his book, Wade, an Opponent in Power: The Trapped Alternation, Abdou Latif Coulibaly finds the statement specifying that he did not hold ministerial rank “irrelevant.” He wrote: ”Karim’s powers are more extensive than those of the prime minister, because they are not constitutional. Therefore, they have no limits other than those drawn by Abdoulaye Wade.”
The investigative journalist added that Wade’s son “believes that his blood ties grant him power that sometimes gives him absolute control over priority sectors of the state administration.”
Viviane Wade was also involved through her foundation. Hence the feeling of a monarchical management of the state, to the point of considering a transfer of power with the infamous June 23rd ticket.
With Wade’s departure from power, this phenomenon was thought to be a thing of the past, especially since the first two presidents had refrained from involving their families in state affairs. But disillusionment soon set in. With Macky Sall, we move from a monarchy to a dynasty: the Faye-Sall dynasty, named after King Faisal of the House of Saud in Saudi Arabia.
Three figures embodied this dynasty: Marième Faye Sall, her brother Mansour Faye, and Aliou Sall, the president’s brother. Marième Faye wielded all her influence over her husband. She played an unofficial but dominant political role, both within the party and the state. We still remember Mbagnick Ndiaye’s admission that he owed his appointment to Marième Faye. According to Sarr and Camara, her foundation was used to bolster her husband’s image, whose popularity had been tarnished by a series of betrayals and the promotion of political opportunism.
Marième Faye Sall’s influence is primarily measured by the prominence of her brother, Mansour Faye: “General Delegate for National Protection and Solidarity (2012-2014), Mayor of Saint-Louis (since 2014), Minister of Water and Sanitation (2014-2019), and Minister of Community Development, Social and Territorial Equity.” This last ministry is reminiscent, in many respects, of Karim Wade’s mega-ministry. It is no coincidence that Mansour Faye was in the crosshairs of public opinion and the current authorities before a political shift occurred following a split within Pastef.
As for Aliou Sall, he was accused of enriching himself through the signing of oil contracts. Following this controversy, his brother, the president, made a solemn commitment: “I never involve my family in the running of the country. If my brother has been implicated in private company affairs, it is because I made it very clear to him, from the moment I took office, that he would never receive a decree of appointment from me, particularly given Senegal’s recent history and because I did not want to be accused of nepotism. I even advised him, at the time, to look into the private sector.”
This advice led Aliou Sall to head the Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations (CDC) with the help of a decree from his brother, Macky Sall.
Today, it is Bassirou Diomaye Faye who is reviving the debate with this message from the First Lady, which he carried, in such a particular context.