Thies Region
Thiès bridges Dakar and the Groundnut Basin via Regional Express Train, with the 366MW Cap des Biches gas plant (2025) supporting industrial expansion.
Thiès functions as Dakar's immediate hinterland where the Groundnut Basin meets the expanding capital's influence. The Regional Express Train and Dakar-Thiès highway investments recognize that connectivity between Senegal's two largest urban areas shapes national development—the infrastructure that enables either integration or congestion management.
Peanut cultivation spanning Thiès alongside Louga, Diourbel, Fatick, and Kaolack reflects the region's agricultural function within the Groundnut Basin. The 366 MW Cap des Biches gas power plant expected to start operating in 2025 (supplied by GTA field gas) provides the energy infrastructure that industrial development requires.
The region's position between agricultural heartland and industrial capital creates transition zone dynamics where land use changes from farming to urban functions. Whether Thiès can maintain agricultural production while accommodating urban expansion—or whether Dakar's growth simply absorbs productive land—tests whether regional planning can manage peri-urban transition.