You are the General Manager of MKEA Transport-Logistiques, can you introduce yourself to our readers and viewers (university and professional background)?

Talking about me is a bit like defining the sector of activity in which I operate. I am a small link in a chain established in Senegal, Mali, Gambia and Mauritania. Talking about me also means talking about the port sector. There is the existence of a port, an airport and the goal sought by any actor is customer satisfaction by taking into account all their needs and delivering their order as quickly as possible at a reasonable cost.

I have been working in the sector since 2003, having completed training at the Sainte Jeanne d'Arc Institution in Dakar, while taking this opportunity to thank all my teachers and all the companies I worked for as an intern in Senegal before moving to Europe to continue my higher education.

It is really a real pleasure to be in the field of transport & logistics and I have had to evolve in various sectors of activity. I finished my studies in France precisely in Le Havre and then I worked in Paris, London and Birmingham in Togo and Benin. When I returned to Senegal, I joined the Bolloré Group which has now become AGL. It is there that I acquired quite a lot of experience in the transport and logistics sector. Thank you to all my former colleagues at the Bolloré Group.

MKEA is one of the leading companies in the logistics sector in Senegal, tell us about your different activities and services?

MKEA Transport-Logistics is a company created since 2020. It is a small one among the big ones, we try to evolve in relation to the activity we carry out and the services we offer, including transport, handling, warehousing and storage. We have a fleet of trucks, lifting equipment with trained personnel to meet any request. We deliver to Senegal and the sub-region.

We thank all the actors, the authorities who accompanied us in setting up the company to meet the needs of everyone. We do not differentiate between operators because we work with everyone.

The theme of this interview is mining logistics, a sector you know well, can you tell us about it?

The first time I discovered a mine was in the Kedougou region, a totally unknown and truly impressive sector. In the context of a mining project, you have fairly heavy, expensive and complex equipment that requires all the studies before the execution phase. A feasibility study is previously defined by taking into account all aspects of the supply chain and the environment.

All these aspects combined make this industry an exciting, complex but fluid sector, if all the studies are well carried out with the involvement of all the actors directly or indirectly involved in the chain. It is not just about having an order executed, it really has to be entrusted to specialists, it is a fairly specialized industry with precise data where there are many requirements to be met with qualified expertise and proven experience to carry out this activity.

Senegal is a country rich in mineral resources, what does its mining map look like?

Today, when we talk about the mining map of Senegal without going into details, in the region of Kédougou the mine of Sabadola, Mako with gold. Phosphate in the region of Matam, Diogo with zircon, the different quarries for cement plants and iron. There are also other resources and minerals still unexploited.

We are not going to orient the location but we can only say that the resources exist throughout Senegal. We have all that is precious materials but it always remains in the raw state without any transformation before export. We are a "blessed" country with a variety of mineral resources, in addition to oil and gas...

The metaphor is often cited: "Africa is a beggar sitting on a gold mine." What is it that prevents the continent from taking advantage of its mineral resources?

Let us hope that future generations will benefit from these mineral resources while adding added value to the transformation process that would undoubtedly be triggered by our current generation. Speaking of training, let us think that students before becoming students must be made aware of the professions that they can practice later. It is necessary that this current youth be oriented towards these professions of the future and not study only for pleasure and have diplomas without any professional skills.

The ministerial department really needs to be able to work on these aspects. We don't need to do a lot of studies and stay with a diploma to be unemployed afterwards. It is important to professionalize the sector through specialized training of students because companies need this qualified human resource. We also need to motivate Senegalese abroad to return to the country and invest.

This will promote the professionalization of staff in sectors of activity, including the mining sector, the agricultural sector, etc. If we need professionals, we can bring them, but we will have to work on the transfer of skills and technologies. We are not against being open to the international market, but we must work on win-win systems.

Locally, the Senegalese will have to be more involved in the projects and we will have to have this transfer of skills to take over. Without any transformation of our mineral resources before any export, without any awareness and strong involvement of our local authorities, your questioning will unfortunately be passed on to future generations.

Development is a major challenge for the African continent, how can mining resources help the latter achieve its development goals?

The financial aspect is not only a blockage but there is also experience which is essential. For example, South Africa is very efficient in the mining sector not to mention others. Even in Senegal, we have been exploiting gold mines for years. We have this capacity or expertise but if we had accentuated this transfer of technology and skills, we would have trained many Senegalese who could have taken up the torch and said to themselves we are capable of managing a mining operation.

We are comfortable telling you that there are Senegalese artisans who have formed a collective who wish to buy gold from the mine in order to be able to process it and sell it on the local market. This is an initiative to be welcomed. In each country, there is a quota or a share of the benefits resulting from mining, which is granted to the States, but these rates must be revised upwards.

I think that in several countries, they are reviewing all the contracts signed with the companies and in some neighboring countries, there is the establishment of refinery plants to transform raw gold before being able to export it and this is a good thing. This is a sector that may be unknown but it is an area of ​​activity that requires a good qualification of the workforce, a transfer of technologies and skills. We must transform our own mining resources as we must master our agricultural and energy self-sufficiency.

What do you think about Africa Supply Chain magazine?

I follow you through the networks and through the publications that you make in the various activity networks. It is a strong communication that you make in the supply chain sector. We appreciate the fact that you are open to the international. We encourage you to diversify and to initiate many subjects of reflection as you do elsewhere. We strongly advise you not to enter into political polemics. We must lock down this whole part and carry constructive communication that the Supply Chain sector needs.

source: Magazine interview N º 9