MS MACKY SALL Candidate for UN Secretary-General
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Biography

The Journey of a Statesman

From the African Union to the leadership of the United Nations: four decades in the service of Senegal, the African continent and multilateralism.

26
years of public service
12
years as President
+58%
GDP growth
42.7%
women in Parliament

The Story

Four Decades in the Service of the State

A Geologist in the Making

I · 1961 — 2000

A Geologist in the Making

Born on December 11, 1961 in Fatick, the son of a civil servant and one of five children, Macky Sall grew up between Fatick, the Fouta and Mboro. From a childhood spent between the groundnut basin and the Senegal River valley, he retained an intimate knowledge of the country as it really is.

A graduate in geology and geophysics from Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar (1988), trained at the Institut Français du Pétrole in Paris, he worked for more than a decade as a geophysical engineer, notably at PETROSEN, the national oil company. Before politics came the discipline of the scientist: reading the subsoil, measuring, proving.

The Republican Ascent

II · 2000 — 2012

The Republican Ascent

Minister of Mines and Energy (2001), Minister of State for the Interior (2003), then Prime Minister from 2004 to 2007 — the longest tenure of the Wade era. Elected President of the National Assembly in 2007, he was removed from office in 2008 for summoning the Head of State's son before a parliamentary commission of inquiry: he chose institutions over men.

On December 1, 2008, he founded the Alliance for the Republic. Three years later, carried by the Benno Bokk Yakaar coalition, he won the second round of the presidential election on March 25, 2012 with 65.8% of the vote.

The Transformative Presidency

III · 2012 — 2024

The Transformative Presidency

Under the Plan Sénégal Émergent, the country changed scale: the Regional Express Train, BRT, Blaise Diagne International Airport, motorways, the new city of Diamniadio. Average growth rose from 2.9% to 5.3%. Universal health coverage was rolled out, 300,000 households received family security grants, and the gender parity law brought women to 42.7% of the National Assembly.

The Sangomar and Grand Tortue-Ahmeyim discoveries ushered Senegal into the oil and gas era. Re-elected in the first round in 2019 with 58.27% of the vote, President Macky Sall peacefully handed over power on April 2, 2024, at the end of his terms. A gesture hailed around the world.

A Global Stature

IV · 2022 — today

A Global Stature

As Chairperson of the African Union in 2022, he carried the continent's voice at the height of the crises: in Sochi on June 3, 2022, he pressed President Putin to release grain and fertilizer shipments in the name of African food security; in Bamako, his mediation secured the release of the 49 Ivorian soldiers.

His advocacy for a permanent African Union seat at the G20 came to fruition in New Delhi in 2023. Invited to three G7 summits and to the G20 summits in Bali and New Delhi, he is today a candidate for Secretary-General of the United Nations, bearing a vision: rebuilding multilateralism for a better world.

« I would like to express my deep appreciation for President Macky Sall and the statesmanship he has shown. His decision represents a very important example for his country and the world. »

António Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General ·

Current International Responsibilities

Special Envoy of the Paris Pact for People and the Planet

Reforming the international financial architecture to serve developing countries.

Chair of the Global Center on Adaptation

Accelerating adaptation to climate change, a priority for the Global South.

Former Chair of the NEPAD Heads of State and Government Orientation Committee

Nine years steering the African Union's development agency.

Diplomatic Experience

A global journey in the service of multilateralism

Macky Sall with world leaders at the G20 Summit
Union africaineCEDEAONEPADForum de DakarCOPFonds mondialOMSGAVIBADBanque mondialeSmart AfricaGPE

Peace and Security8

  • Feb. 2013

    Elected Chair of the NEPAD Steering Committee

    Addis Ababa — Chair, NEPAD HSGOC

    Led NEPAD for 9 years. Agenda 2063, continental integration.

  • May 2015

    Chair of the ECOWAS Conference of Heads of State

    Accra — Chair-in-office, ECOWAS

    Rotating chairmanship. Regional stability in West Africa.

  • Nov. 2014

    1st Dakar Forum on Peace and Security in Africa

    Dakar — Host Head of State

    Created the annual forum that became the continental benchmark on security.

  • Nov. 2017

    4th Dakar Forum — Financing the G5 Sahel

    Dakar — Host Head of State

    Advocacy for financing the G5 Sahel Joint Force against terrorism.

  • Nov. 2022

    8th Dakar Forum — Stability and Counter-Terrorism

    Dakar — Chairperson of the AU

    Edition held under AU chairmanship. Sahel, Horn of Africa, Great Lakes.

  • Nov. 2023

    9th Dakar Forum — Security and Development

    Diamniadio — Head of State

    Co-chaired with Ghazouani (Mauritania). The security-development nexus.

  • Aug. 2022

    Mediation in Mali — Ivorian Soldiers

    Bamako — Chairperson of the AU / Mediator

    Negotiated with Goïta for the release of the 49 Ivorian soldiers. African solutions.

  • 2013

    Yaoundé Code of Conduct — Maritime Security

    Yaoundé — Head of State

    Senegal joined the regional code against piracy in the Gulf of Guinea.

Governance and Human Rights5

  • Jul. 2012

    Chaired the 17th APRM Summit

    Addis Ababa — Head of State

    African Peer Review Mechanism. Good governance.

  • 2012

    Implementation of the Gender Parity Law

    Dakar — President of the Republic

    42.7% women in the National Assembly (up from 22.7%). 4th in Africa.

  • Feb. 2022

    Elected Chairperson of the African Union

    Addis Ababa — Chairperson-in-office of the AU

    35th ordinary session. Mandate focused on peace, food security, governance.

  • Feb. 2023

    Handover of the AU Chairmanship

    Addis Ababa — Outgoing AU Chairperson

    Record: Russia mediation, G20, food security. Handover to Azali Assoumani.

  • Jan. 2024

    Laying of the First Stone of the Gorée Memorial

    Dakar — Head of State

    A monument commemorating slavery and promoting reconciliation.

Climate and Environment4

  • 2012-2024

    Great Green Wall — Senegalese Leadership

    Sahel — Head of State

    12 million trees planted, 25,000 hectares restored during his presidency.

  • 2022

    Partnership with the Global Center on Adaptation

    Dakar — Chairperson of the AU

    USD 1 billion in climate finance unlocked for Senegal through the AAAP.

  • 2021

    Climate Chance Week for Sustainable Mobility

    Dakar — Host Head of State

    Climate action, green mobility, sustainable development.

  • Sep. 2023

    Africa Climate Summit

    Nairobi — Head of State

    Championing African solutions in renewable energy.

Health and Pandemics5

  • Feb. 2022

    Launch of the Global Fund's 7th Replenishment

    Dakar — Host Head of State

    Led 5 African presidents in mobilising against AIDS, TB and malaria.

  • Aug. 2019

    Address to the WHO Regional Committee

    Dakar — Head of State

    Called on all 47 African countries to invest more in health.

  • 2022

    Launch of the “Zero Malaria” Initiative

    Dakar — Head of State

    First country to launch the initiative. Fighting Africa's leading cause of death.

  • 2021

    mRNA Technology Transfer — Vaccine Production

    Dakar — Head of State

    Senegal among the 6 African countries receiving mRNA technology. Health sovereignty.

  • May 2014

    “Immunise Africa 2020” Declaration

    Abuja — Head of State

    Commitment by Heads of State to expand access to vaccines in Africa.

Economy and Trade6

  • Jan. 2023

    Dakar 2 Summit — Food Sovereignty

    Dakar — Host Head of State

    Co-organised with the AfDB. 60% of Africa's arable land remains unexploited.

  • 2018-2021

    Signature and Ratification of the AfCFTA

    Kigali / Dakar — Signatory Head of State

    African Continental Free Trade Area. 1.3 billion consumers.

  • May 2022

    Launch of ATEX — Pan-African E-Commerce Platform

    Dakar — Host Head of State

    54th Conference of African Ministers of Finance. Intra-African trade.

  • Jun. 2022

    IDA20 “For Africa” Summit

    Dakar — Host Head of State

    World Bank summit hosted by Senegal. Development finance.

  • 2024

    Chair of ECOWAS

    Abuja — Chair-in-office, ECOWAS

    Elected chair. Economic integration, single currency, energy.

  • Jan. 2016

    31st NEPAD Session — Economic Integration

    Addis Ababa — Chair, NEPAD HSGOC

    Accelerating Agenda 2063. Industrialisation and structural transformation.

Technology and Innovation2

  • Mar. 2018

    1st Senegal Digital Forum

    Dakar — Host Head of State

    “Youth and digital”. Startup ecosystem and digital entrepreneurship.

  • 2019

    Startup Act — 2nd African Country

    Dakar — Head of State

    Legislative framework for startups. DER funding tripled (3 billion FCFA).

Education and Youth2

  • Feb. 2022

    GPE Replenishment Conference

    Dakar — Co-host Head of State

    Co-hosted with Macron. Financing education in Africa.

  • 2013-2019

    DER/FJ Programme — Youth Employment

    Dakar — Head of State

    450 billion FCFA redirected. 30,000 jobs in year 1, targeting 300,000.

Honours and international affiliations

Council of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation

2025

Member of the Council of the leading foundation on African governance, alongside eminent global figures.

Doctor honoris causa

CNAM (Paris), University of Abomey-Calavi (Benin), Pukyong National University (Busan), UMEF (Geneva).

Member of several international academies.

Books

Le Sénégal au cœur

Le Sénégal au cœur

Cherche Midi · 2018

The story of a commitment, from Fouta to the presidency of the Republic.

L'Afrique au cœur

L'Afrique au cœur

Odile Jacob · 2025

The manifesto of a continent that decides, launched in New York on the margins of the UN General Assembly.

Africa: Leading from the Heart

Africa: Leading from the Heart

Odile Jacob · 2025

The international English-language edition.

The next chapter is being written at the United Nations.

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