Dakar, the host city of the 2026 Youth Olympic Games, hopes to build on the momentum of the event by establishing a groundbreaking digital support infrastructure, aiming to benefit Senegal well beyond the end of the Games.
From October 31 to November 13, about 2,700 young athletes will compete in Dakar, Diamniadio and Saly.
Behind the sporting spectacle is a massive digital operation. At its center is Sonatel, the Games' official connectivity provider, whose infrastructure was set up to support spectators and international broadcasters. However, the bigger investment may be in the businesses that continue operating after the crowds leave. Organizers say more than three-quarters of contracts went to Senegalese companies.
"The economic model is based on several key principles. The first is to empower public delivery partners. All public delivery entities in Senegal are partners who support the committee. And we trusted local companies. For more than 75 percent of our contracts, we contracted with Senegalese companies which, given the standards and specifications of the IOC, had to upgrade, to become more powerful in order to comply with this level of requirement. And that allows all these Senegalese companies today to have on their CV this stamp of the Youth Olympic Games," said Thierno Cisse, deputy executive director of operations of Dakar 2026.
The private sector views this as one of the Games' most important legacies. The National Employers' Council said it pushed to ensure local firms secured a major share of the work, along with technology transfer.
"We insisted that the majority of the work should be carried out by Senegalese companies. As you know, this organization involves various donors, as well as technical and financial partners. When they provide funding, they naturally want to use their own companies. Through the National Employers' Council, of which I am a member, we fought to ensure that 70 percent of the work would be carried out by Senegalese firms as this is the first time the Olympic Games has been held in Africa," said Col. Mbarick Diop, member of National Employers' Council.
For much of Africa, growing smartphone use, mobile internet, and mobile payments are opening new markets in e-sports, paid streaming, and online betting. From digital infrastructure to homegrown businesses, Senegal's ambitions go well beyond hosting a successful Olympic event. For Dakar, the real victory may not be measured in medals, but in the economic opportunities, technology, and expertise left behind -- long after the athletes have gone home.
Senegal aims to leverage Youth Olympics to boost local businesses, digital infrastructure
