The contentious agreement between the Senegalese Rural Electrification Agency (ASER) and the Spanish firm AEE Power has once again seized the political spotlight in Dakar. Thierno Alassane Sall, leader of La République des valeurs and a member of the National Assembly, is openly accusing the ruling Pastef party of hypocrisy regarding this rural electrification contract. The deal has become a symbol of the friction between the Senegalese executive and segments of the political class. The former Minister of Energy did not shy away from using the term “duplicity,” a word rarely heard in local parliamentary discourse.
A rural electrification contract becomes a state affair
The ASER-AEE Power contract encompasses an extensive program to electrify numerous Senegalese villages, aiming to connect thousands of localities to the national grid. For several months, public disputes have surrounded the precise execution of the project, the funds disbursed, and the actual deliveries made. The controversy escalated politically when key figures within Pastef, prior to assuming power, had highlighted this very case as a prime example of poor governance under the previous administration.
Now in positions of authority, these same individuals find themselves tasked with managing the inherited contractual obligations and upholding the Senegalese state’s commitments to its Spanish partner. It is this exact shift in stance that Thierno Alassane Sall seeks to underscore. In his view, the current government’s position starkly contradicts the statements made during the electoral campaign and in the initial weeks following the change in power.
Thierno alassane sall’s critique against pastef
Known for his firm stance on energy matters, the former minister believes the party led by Ousmane Sonko and backed by President Bassirou Diomaye Faye can no longer maintain an opposition posture. He points to a clear inconsistency between their pledges for systematic audits of opaque contracts and the cautious approach now adopted concerning AEE Power. The deputy suggests that inherited cases are being handled with a double standard, which could undermine the credibility of the
