The accident that cost the life of a famous Senegalese artist, May 5, revives the debate on the theater of the drama, namely the toll motorway linking Dakar Blaise Diagne International Airport.
The lack of lighting over a good part of the journey, because of the collision of the vehicle of the artist in question with a cow, is pointed out by many users and by the press.
To cut short the controversy, Gerard Senac, CEO of Eiffage, the company concessionaire infrastructure for 30 years (the contract runs until November 30, 2039) goes up to the niche and announces quick action. Too late.
In the meantime, the Senegalese President, Macky Sall in person, has taken the lead, explaining to his fellow citizens that they have given firm instructions for the revision of the inherited concession agreement, it must be said, of his predecessor.
Committing his government to “hurry” the pace regarding “the revision of the concession of the highway and the need for tariff revision on the entire section that will soon go to Thies, Mbour and Touba”, the Senegalese President he will go so far as to denounce the contract which grants Eifage the right to collect 3000 francs (4 euros 50 centimes) on 50 km, against 0.5 euros over a quasi-equivalent distance connecting Casablanca to the Mohammed V airport ?
Already a few weeks ago, during the preparation of the Budget, the Minister of Infrastructure, land transport and opening up, Abdoulaye Daouda Diallo, seemed to abound in the direction of revising a tariff denounced by all associations number of consumers: “We are working on the creation of a motorway management company. What we want is to work to have exclusive financing of motorways from the private sector.
On the high price of the toll, Gerard Senac had promised a study last February. Solutions exist, he said, while stating that they must be endorsed by all parties. “I am a concessionaire and the State is conceding, so we will see the solutions together,” implicitly inviting the donors, to take a stand.
It should be noted that, according to Eiffage, out of every 1,000 francs paid on the toll, 300 go to the state, 400 to the repayment of the investment and 300 to the concessionaire. A distribution key likely to evolve, especially since, according to indiscretions, the concession contract had been developed on largely exceeded traffic estimates.
Beyond the controversy over the rates, it is certainly the entire BOT contract awarded to Eiffage in 2007 by decree that should be reviewed in the light of the day.
