Pape Diouf uses an electric planer to polish the foam surface of each surfboard he creates in his little beachfront cottage in Dakar, Senegal’s capital.
Dakar, Senegal, is situated on a spit of land that protrudes into the Atlantic Ocean, resulting in world-class waves, and Diouf, at the age of 27, is the country’s first surfboard manufacturer.
The surf scene is dominated by locals, many of whom ride donated or hand-me-down boards. Diouf, a surfing instructor, intends to change that by increasing the availability of locally produced boards.
“I’ve wanted to make my own board since I was a little boy,” said Diouf, who founded “Sunugal Surfboard Repair” in 2020 using money he won in an entrepreneurship competition.
He used to be a board repair specialist, but now he solely builds boards.
“Board-making really needs to pick up,” said Aita Diop, a competitive surfer who competes on a Diouf-built board.
“It’s great that there’s at least one person making them, but we need more to prove that we can crank out quality boards,” she said.
Diouf’s boards sell for roughly 250,000 CFA francs ($422), including the cost of components like fiberglass that he must import from Europe. Some of them he personalizes by incorporating African materials.
Sunugal surfboards are now only available at the store in Yoff, Dakar, but Diouf intends to extend the company to other areas of the city and nation.
Tomorrow, I see surfers from all around the world surfing waves on Sunugal boards.
