Kaffrine hosted the national tour of the Association of Retail Shopkeepers of Senegal (ABDS) on Wednesday, led by its president, Aliou Ba. This initiative aims to bring the ABDS closer to traders in the interior of the country in order to better understand their daily realities and to develop appropriate solutions with them.

According to Aliou Ba, this tour is part of a dynamic of listening and consultation. "We initiated this national tour to be much closer to shopkeepers, to understand their local realities and to find together solutions adapted to their concerns," he explained.

Several themes were addressed during the discussions, including the recurring difficulties encountered by shopkeepers in Kaffrine, the modernization of neighborhood shops, access to financing, but also the issue of formalizing retail trade.

A broad debate was opened, allowing each shopkeeper to express themselves freely. State services, present at the meeting, also offered their assessments and guidance. In this regard, the president of the ABDS appealed to the authorities: "We ask the State of Senegal to be even closer to shopkeepers and to better address the challenges related to their business."

Aliou Ba also stressed the need to prioritize awareness over repression. "The only thing we ask is for much more tolerance. There are shopkeepers who don't yet fully understand all the rules. So we need more awareness and less repression," he argued.

The meeting also provided an opportunity to discuss the prospects for modernizing neighborhood shops. In this regard, ABDS intends to act as an intermediary between microfinance institutions and retail merchants. "The association will serve as a link between microfinance institutions and shopkeepers to facilitate access to financing and support modernization," stated Aliou Ba.

Regarding the issue of formalization, administrative and security authorities emphasized that a large number of shopkeepers still lack official documents. However, a shared commitment seems to be emerging. "The services are ready to provide support, and the shopkeepers are also willing to formalize their businesses so that every merchant can obtain a business registration," the national president reassured.

Present at the meeting, Pape Ndao, regional president of the retail shopkeepers of Kaffrine, welcomed the visit, which he considers promising. "The modernization of neighborhood shops will be most welcome," he declared, before inviting all shopkeepers in the region to commit fully to formalizing their businesses in order to better secure and develop them.

The Association of Retail Shopkeepers of Senegal thus reaffirms its commitment to structuring local commerce and defending the interests of shopkeepers at the national level.