Senegal observed a slight decline in 2025 regarding the implementation of community reforms, policies, programs, and projects mandated by the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA). This dip occurred despite authorities generally deeming overall outcomes satisfactory.

During the political phase of the 11th Annual Review of UEMOA community reforms, policies, programs, and projects, hosted in Senegal, an average implementation rate of 76.45% was officially recorded for 2025. This marks a decrease of 2.14 percentage points from the 78.59% achieved in 2024. Notably, this year’s assessment encompassed 145 reforms, an increase from 132 in the previous review cycle.

These findings emerged from discussions involving Senegalese state authorities and the UEMOA Commission. The session was chaired by Cheikh Diba, Minister of Finance and Budget, alongside Abdoulaye Diop, President of the UEMOA Commission.

Minister Cheikh Diba attributed this decline primarily to setbacks in carrying out reforms related to economic governance and convergence, which saw a 1.3 percentage point reduction. Sectoral reforms also experienced a significant dip of 6.03 points. However, this overall underperformance was partially offset by advancements within the common market, demonstrating a 0.91 percentage point increase.

The Minister further elaborated that challenges within economic governance and convergence were largely due to the delayed submission of the 2024 report from the Single Window for Financial Statement Submission (GUDEF) to the UEMOA Commission during the technical review phase.

Despite this overarching decline in the Senegal UEMOA reforms implementation, several sectors showcased positive progress. Notable advancements included an 1.83 percentage point rise in the harmonization of the legal, accounting, and statistical framework for public finances. The customs union also saw a significant improvement of 4.55 points. Furthermore, the agriculture, livestock, fishing, and environment sectors collectively increased by 2.12 points, while human and social development surged by 6.58 points. Energy and mining also registered a commendable 3.33 percentage point gain.

Minister Diba highlighted that the most impactful outcomes within structural reforms were particularly evident in areas such as culture, tourism, crafts, quality standards, and the overall business climate.

Commitments unveiled to realign the trajectory

According to the Minister of Finance and Budget, these results necessitate immediate attention and urgent corrective actions. Consequently, the Senegalese government is committed to implementing the necessary provisions to solidify existing achievements, enhance performance, and systematically address identified shortcomings.

He emphasized that substantial efforts remain crucial, particularly in finalizing document validation processes, providing essential supporting documentation, and ensuring the effective execution and diligent monitoring of community programs and projects.

The political phase of this review successfully validated the outcomes from the technical phase, thereby strengthening the commitment of the Senegalese administration and its highest authorities toward implementing the community reforms.

Cheikh Diba noted that, despite remaining areas for improvement, these results align with a broader positive dynamic observed across other UEMOA member states, where significant advancements in reform implementation have also been recorded.

The Minister reiterated that, for Senegal, strengthening regional integration remains a paramount priority. In light of this, the findings from this political phase will be presented to Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko during an upcoming audience with the President of the UEMOA Commission.