Senegal IMF agreement: Ousmane Sonko demands transparency

Ousmane Sonko, Senegal’s former Prime Minister and current President of the National Assembly, has publicly weighed in on the recent agreement forged between the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Senegalese government. Speaking via his official Facebook page, the legislative leader announced that a thorough debate is imminent to explore the intricate details and consequences of this new financial partnership.

Following the announcement of a fresh accord between the IMF and Senegal, which outlines a loan program exceeding 2 billion dollars (approximately 1,245 billion CFA francs) to support Dakar, Sonko has once again taken a firm stance. It was Ousmane Sonko who previously brought to light a ‘hidden debt’ that led to the suspension of the IMF’s program for Senegal back in 2024.

Ousmane Sonko stated, “We have observed the sequential announcements from both the IMF and the Senegalese government regarding a technical agreement. This agreement will only become definitive after its eventual approval by the Fund’s Executive Board.”

He highlighted, however, that the diplomatic language employed by both parties offers no substantive information regarding the specifics of this proposed agreement, nor about Senegal’s commitments, as alluded to in the IMF’s communiqué:

•⁠ ⁠What are Senegal’s commitments concerning the ‘treatment of its debt’?

•⁠ ⁠What are the primary reforms anticipated (including public finance sustainability, protection for vulnerable households, domestic resource mobilization, expenditure rationalization, social safety nets, oversight of public enterprises, and the business environment)?

•⁠ ⁠What is the status of the previously mandated international debt audits?

These are critical commitments that directly concern all Senegalese citizens, in whose name they are undertaken, and who alone will bear their present and future burdens.

Having participated in these discussions for many months and being aware of certain directions that risk repeating past errors, I call for absolute transparency.

Given that such negotiations typically culminate in a draft document, known as a memorandum of economic and financial policies, which is validated by both parties, I formally request that the government of Senegal:

•⁠ ⁠Publish this memorandum to ensure accurate public information and to facilitate a healthy debate on Senegal’s obligations;

•⁠ ⁠Alternatively, transmit it directly to the National Assembly, which serves as the popular representation.

In any event, the broad outlines of these commitments will be incorporated into a potential supplementary finance law or the draft finance law for the year 2027, both of which will be presented to the National Assembly in October 2026.

And the debate will certainly unfold!

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