Construction work on the Smart University of Notto Diobasse (USND) was launched on Tuesday, May 20, 2025, in the village of Sanghé, in the commune of Notto Diobasse, in the presence of Mayor Alioune Sarr, the Sub-Prefect of Notto, national and foreign technical and financial partners, and various members of the Notto population. The ceremony, which began at around 5 p.m., took place without major incidents, thanks to the effective presence of the national gendarmerie, who kept a close watch on a group of demonstrators opposed to the Mayor's project.
The ceremony kicked off with a blessing from Imam Idrissa Gaye, who prayed for the successful completion of this major project. According to him, the Mayor has not squandered the Notto Diobasse land, but given it the value it deserves in view of its strategic geographical position. He welcomed the presence of more than twenty of the 67 village chiefs at the ceremony to lay the foundation stone for the Notto Diobasse Smart City.
The Senegalese national anthem was then played, adding a solemn touch to the event.
Various speakers then took it in turns to address the audience. Alioune Sarr, Mayor of Notto Diobasse Commune:
Governor,
Monsieur le Préfet,
Ladies and Gentlemen, administrative, territorial, religious and traditional authorities,
Honored guests,
Dear technical and financial partners, Ladies and Gentlemen, Assalamou Aleykoum,
Dear Minister,
Madam Representative of the Diplomatic Corps,
Mayors,
Dear partners and guests,
Dear members of the Notto Diobasse community,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is with deep emotion and a profound sense of pride that I welcome you here to Notto Diobasse, a Senegal in miniature, a land of sharing, dialogue between religions and solidarity, where Muslims and Catholics, Serers, Woloffs, Alpulars, Bambaras and Diolas have lived together in peace for centuries, on this Tuesday, May 20 at 3 p.m., for this official ceremony to start work on the development of the Notto Diobasse Smart City Plan.
Today is a historic day for our commune, but also for our entire country, for it is here, in this land rich in history, resources, traditions and above all human potential, that the dawn of a structuring, ambitious and forward-looking project is dawning.
The Notto Diobasse Smart City Plan is an ambitious project. It's much more than an urbanization project. It's a strategic vision for short-, medium- and long-term territorial planning, based on the intelligent and sustainable exploitation of our natural resources and local know-how. It's the foundation for a profound transformation of our territory, making it more modern, more competitive and more inclusive.
This plan is also a promise made to our people, to make Notto Diobasse a center of attractiveness, training, employment and life worthy of the world's great cities, to enable our young people to learn, to undertake, to innovate and to succeed here, at home.
The plan is based on three main pillars:
Firstly, the restructuring, regularization and requalification of our 67 villages, to guarantee every citizen a secure, organized and legally recognized living environment. The securitization of land, whether hamlets or fields, will give people the legal tools to enhance the value of their heritage.
Secondly, the development and subdivision of villages according to Smart City standards, with the creation of modern roads, structured public spaces, housing areas, crafts, shops and local industries, as well as access to basic social services drinking water, sanitation, electricity, roads, health, education, training...
Thirdly, the creation of an Aéroville, an Agroparc and a Business Park, strategic infrastructures that will capitalize on the opportunities offered by proximity to Diass airport, the future port of Ndayane and major consumer centers. These facilities will promote massive employment, local processing of our products, and the integration of our economy into regional and national value chains.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
We are gathered today in Notto Diobasse to lay the foundation stone for a project that will undoubtedly mark a historic turning point for our territory - the Université Smart Notto Diobasse and its University and Hospital Medical Center, on a five-hectare site entirely dedicated to this purpose. Ci has been granted a subdivision authorization by order of the Minister of Urban Planning number 027180 of December 10, 2019, authorizing the subdivision of an unregistered plot of land (TNI), known as Cité Diobasse, located in Notto Diobasse, with a surface area of One Hundred and Eight Hectares Twenty-Eight Ares Sixty-Six Centiares (118Ha28a66ca), on behalf of the commune of Notto Diobasse, following declassification by decree number 2019-02 of January 02, 2019, a portion of the classified forest with a surface area of 120 ha was declassified to enable the construction of 2.160 social housing units.
This symbolic gesture, this stone that we are placing together, represents much more than just the start of a construction project. It is the foundation of a future we have chosen to build on the foundations of knowledge, research, technology and healthcare for all. It symbolizes the union between tradition and innovation, vision and action.
Université Smart Notto Diobasse will embody a new generation of academic institutions: a place of excellence, connected to the challenges of the 21st century, focused on innovation, entrepreneurship and sustainable development. This is where tomorrow's leaders, engineers, researchers and doctors will be trained, as well as responsible citizens rooted in the values of our culture and open to the world.
As for the Centre Médical Hospitalier et Universitaire, it will become a benchmark for the region, both for the quality of its care and for its vocation to train a new medical and paramedical elite that is close to the people, competent and humane. It will meet a vital need: equitable access to healthcare, with dignity and excellence.
Dear friends,
In laying this foundation stone, we are planting the seeds of knowledge and health for future generations. We are affirming that the future of our young people deserves the best tools, the best structures, and above all, our unwavering commitment.
Let this project be a beacon for the Diobasse region, for Senegal, and why not, for the whole of Africa.
I'd like to take this opportunity to salute the commitment of all the parties involved: the State of Senegal, technical and financial partners, developers, village chiefs, the local population, not forgetting the municipal teams and technical services.
I address you, the youth of Diobasse and Senegal, with hope and determination: this project is yours. It is designed for you, with you and by you. Prepare yourselves. Train yourselves. Be the artisans and builders of this city of tomorrow. Don't run away from your land; build it. It's time to turn exodus into return, unemployment into opportunity, resignation into ambition.
As Mayor, I renew my trust in you and my unwavering commitment to the balanced development of our region and to meeting the expectations of our young people in terms of education, employment, entrepreneurship and civic participation.
My fellow citizens,
Today, we begin a new chapter in our history. It will be marked by challenges, but also by immense promise. Together, united, in solidarity, we will make Notto Diobasse a model of integrated development, respectful of our environment, our values and our aspirations.
Together, let's build Notto Diobasse Smart City. Together, let's make Senegal a country where every young person can dream, succeed and flourish.
I invite you to make this vision your own, and turn it into a shared project for the benefit of present and future generations.
Long live Notto Diobasse Smart City!
Long live youth!
Long live Senegal!
Thank you for your attention.
Signed in Notto on May 20, 2025.
The Mayor's speech preceded the symbolic act of laying the foundation stone for the development of the Notto Diobasse Smart City Plan.
