Senegal’s economic reforms under scrutiny at UEMOA annual review
The political phase of the 11th annual review of UEMOA community reforms took place yesterday in Dakar, following a one-day postponement. The session brought together Senegalese Finance and Budget Minister Cheikh Diba and Abdoulaye Diop, President of the UEMOA Commission, to assess progress and outline corrective measures.
Senegal’s performance across 145 evaluated reforms shows a decline of 2.14 points compared to 2024, prompting urgent government action. While the country maintains a generally satisfactory overall score, the drop highlights critical areas needing immediate attention, particularly in economic governance, structural reforms, and convergence.
Key findings from the UEMOA review
- Overall performance drop: Senegal’s provisional implementation rate stands at 76.45% across 145 reforms, down from 78.59% in 2024.
- Major areas of concern: Governance and convergence (-6.3 points) and structural reforms face significant challenges, including delays in submitting the 2024 report on the single window for financial statements.
- Sectors requiring urgent action: Culture, tourism, crafts, quality standards, and business climate remain critical weak points.
The review also recognized notable progress in other sectors, including:
- Agriculture, livestock, fishing, and environment: +12 points
- Human and social development: +6.5 points
- Energy sector: +3 points
- Modernization of legal, accounting, and statistical frameworks: +5.5 points
Cheikh Diba confirmed that the review’s conclusions will be presented to the Prime Minister in a special audience with Abdoulaye Diop, signaling a strong commitment to accelerating compliance with UEMOA standards before the next evaluation.
UEMOA reforms: A mechanism for regional progress
Established by an additional act of the Heads of State Conference on October 24, 2013, the annual review aims to evaluate collective actions toward UEMOA’s treaty objectives, identify gaps, and provide operational recommendations. Since 2014, ten reviews have been conducted in Senegal, with generally positive outcomes. This 11th edition marks the second under the biennial political configuration introduced on July 8, 2023.
Abdoulaye Diop emphasized that the exercise remains essential for reinforcing regional integration and ensuring member states’ policies align with UEMOA’s shared development goals.
