President Bassirou Diomaye Faye made an unannounced visit to the Mbour 4 development site in the Thiès region, halting all land operations and publicly denouncing widespread abuses.
That intervention marked the start of a sweeping approach to urban land governance, built on transparency and social justice. Just over a year later, the same strategy has now been extended to another high-profile project in the region — the New City of Thiès.
By a decree signed on July 16, 2025, the government declared the redevelopment of the New City of Thiès to be of “public utility,” granting the state the legal authority to take control of the troubled site. Article 2 of the decree authorises the expropriation of affected plots — a rare but forceful measure underscoring the urgency of addressing the escalating land crisis.
Investigations by the General Directorate for the Surveillance and Control of Land Use (DGSCOS) revealed a trail of illegal allocations, including transfers granted to former officials without legal grounds.
Originally conceived as a mixed-use development with social, economic, and luxury housing, the subdivision had been stalled by these irregularities, depriving local communities of fair land access and fuelling tensions.
“The practices uncovered were astonishing,” said DGSCOS Director General Amadou Ousmane Ba, noting that the irregular allocations had blocked progress and undermined the project’s core mission.
The decree now clears the way for a full restructuring of the site, enabling authorities to reclaim, plan, and redistribute the land in line with national priorities.
The revived project envisions over 3,000 housing units alongside schools, hospitals, green spaces, and sports facilities. Its success, however, hinges on expropriations being managed with transparency and strong social safeguards.
By targeting both Mbour 4 and the New City of Thiès, Diomaye Faye has turned Thiès into a testing ground for his land reform agenda.
In a region plagued by contested urban growth, the president’s message is unambiguous: state land will no longer serve as a vehicle for political favour or illicit profiteering, and urban planning will be enforced with decisive action.
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