The resilience strategy of the city of Dakar document has identified the following elements as the principal challenges of the city:
| Demographic pressure and fast urbanization | More than 10% of the country population is on 0.04% of its national territory. |
| High unemployment rate in youth | Unemployment rate in youth at 16.8% and 23% of underemployed |
| Growing demand for energy | 56.9% of the national consumption: 11.8 power cuts each month |
| Low sanitation capacity | +400,000 citizens of Dakar are not connected to the public network of solid waste collection; Between 10% and 30% do not have a working treatment of liquid wastes |
| Climate change | More than 300 buildings and 60% of beaches could disappear by 2080 because of the advancement of the sea |
| Low community engagement and beggary | Irresponsible and uncivil behaviors of the people of Dakar. Close to 30,000 children are begging in the streets of Dakar |
| Low coordination between central and municipal authorities | Overlap in distribution of responsibilities between central power and the city in key resilience domains (sanitation, energy, etc.) |
