DAKAR

Ousmane Sonko, speaker of Senegal’s National Assembly and former prime minister, used the eve of the country’s 2026 FIFA World Cup opener against France to deliver a pointed message about African self-worth, telling journalists that the continent’s natural and human resources position it as a net creditor to the world, not a supplier of talent it cannot afford to lose.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with France 24 and Radio France Internationale broadcast from Dakar on Monday, Sonko drew a direct line from the football pitch to the broader question of Africa’s relationship with the West.

France and Senegal face each other in their opening group-stage match at the 2026 World Cup on June 16, reprising a fixture the Lions of Teranga won at the 2002 tournament in South Korea and Japan, when France entered as defending champions.

Sonko said that if Africa recognizes its own value, it will see the strength it already possesses. “We have the human resources with a rapidly growing demographic, an essentially young population,” he said.

Sonko noted that the configuration of the French national squad, which draws heavily on players of African descent, illustrated where genuine human capital resides. Africa, he argued, holds the resources the world needs.

The continent’s failure to leverage that position feeds debates over immigration and economic dependency that could be resolved if African states asserted the value they already possess.

Senegal’s population stood at approximately 18.3 million in 2024, according to United Nations data, with a median age of around 19 years.

The African Union projects that Africa’s working-age population will reach one billion by 2040, making it the largest labor force on earth.

Sonko said no match result would change the underlying arithmetic. “Whichever team wins, it is Africa that will have beaten Africa,” he said.