Senegal’s Macky Sall starts second term with call for dialogue

President pledges ‘constructive dialogue’ with opposition and vows action on youth unemployment and women’s empowerment.

Macky Sall has embarked on his second term as Senegal‘s president pledging “constructive” dialogue with the opposition and reforms to spur development.

Clad in a navy blue suit, Sall on Tuesday swore “before God and before the nation” to serve the people as several visiting African leaders looked on.

The 57-year-old leader chose the new city of Diamniadio, some 32km from the capital, Dakar, and a product of his Emerging Senegal Plan (PSE) launched in 2014, to make his address.

He urged optimism, saying “it seems new economic perspectives are opening up for our country”, a reference to Senegal’s plans to enter the hydrocarbons sector in 2021-22 via two ambitious oil and gas developments.

In his brief inauguration speech, he also said he would particularly look to aid the young, pursuing employment and training