Senegal/Crucial laterite road infrastructure between Linguère and Dolly boosts local economy

Inhabitants of the Linguère department are welcoming the laterite road linking their town to the village of Dolly, an infrastructure that promises to stimulate economic activity in the region.

The 82-kilometer road is one of the achievements of the Emergency Community Development Program (PUDC). For the residents of Thiel, a village located on the Linguère-Dolly axis some 60 kilometers from Linguère, this initiative marks the end of isolation and the improvement of their living conditions.

According to PUDC data, some 96,000 people will benefit from the new road. Residents remember the difficulties of traveling between Linguère and Dolly. Hawa Diarga, a resident of Thiel and town councillor in Barkédji, expresses her delight, pointing out that the road has many advantages and relieves people of long, arduous journeys.

Hawa Diarga, head of a livestock breeders' association, notes that the new road will have a positive impact on all sectors of activity, including education, health and livestock breeding, the area's main activity. She notes that all these sectors have benefited from the new infrastructure.

Local people now have easier access to towns such as Touba, Linguère, Dolly and Dahra, where they can sell livestock, meat and milk. Residents hope that the authorities will go one step further and pave this road to maximize the benefits.

Salif Camara, a community health worker living near Thiel, explains that the track now facilitates the evacuation of patients to Linguère, which has the nearest referral health facility. He recalls that transferring patients used to take almost four hours, whereas now it only takes an hour.

Thiel's weekly market is also benefiting from the increased footfall thanks to the new road.

Mamadou Ka, supervisor at Thiel secondary school, has observed an increase in attendance at the school since the construction of the track. He notes that the college now has several additional classes and welcomes education and training officials on a more regular basis.

Livestock farmers, too, are taking advantage of the road to transport their cattle to Linguère and other towns more efficiently.

Taking advantage of this new road, users are already dreaming of its asphalting to further improve their daily lives. Hawa Diarga is calling on the state authorities to start asphalting the road.

Source: senego.com/