Senegal singer Youssou Ndour appointed culture minister

July 31, 2016

By News Desk

Senegalese singer Youssou N’Dour has announced he will quit music to become a full-time politician in Senegal. Here he performs on February 28, 2010 during the 4th Dakhla Festival in the Western Saharan city of Dakhla in Morocco.

Senegalese musician Youssou Ndour has been named tourism and culture minister in the cabinet of newly elected President Macky Sall.

The Grammy-award winning singer has been an outspoken critic of former leader Abdoulaye Wade, and announced he was quitting the music industry to focus on politics.

But Ndour, 52, was disqualified from running as a candidate himself, and instead backed Sall in the presidential election. Sall, who won a run-off vote last month, was sworn into office on Monday.

Ndour is one of 25 people appointed to the new cabinet, down from about 40 under his predecessor, Reuters reported.

More from GlobalPost: Senegal: Macky Sall sworn in as president

Amadou Kane, former head of the Senegalese branch of French bank BNP, was appointed minister of the economy.

Agence France-Presse noted that slimming down the cabinet was one of Sall's campaign promises.

Ndour is a successful businessman in Senegal, where he owns a media group, a night club and a music studio, the BBC reported.

"It is a great day for Senegal, a great day for Africa … now we can get to work! I am very happy, very moved. It is democracy which has won," Ndour said, according to AFP.