The contest, named after Crown Prince Sultan, deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation, is organized by the Jeddah-based International Organization for Qur'an Memorization (IOQM).
In his opening speech, Wade commended the efforts of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah to spread the message of Qur'an all over the world.
"We are happy to host this important contest. About 95 percent of Senegal's population is Muslim," Wade said. He disclosed plans to organize a number of Islamic conferences in the country.
Sheikh Al-Habib, president of the Islamic Forum for Development and Education, commended the support of President Wade and Prince Sultan to the competition to encourage young Muslims to learn the Qur'an.
Dr. Abdullah Basfar, secretary-general of IOQM, said his organization had organized 29 Qur'an recitation contests during the past years with the participation of more than 3,300 contestants.
"Our organization currently runs a large number of Qur'an study centers in different countries. More than 30,000 have graduated from them," he said.
