Ousmane Sonko, the former Prime Minister and current President of Senegal’s National Assembly, has issued a strong statement regarding the latest agreement between the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Senegalese government. Taking to his official Facebook page, the parliamentary leader announced that a comprehensive debate would soon commence on the intricacies and implications of this renewed collaboration.
Following the announcement of a new IMF accord for Senegal, which includes a loan program exceeding $2 billion (approximately 1,245 billion CFA francs) to bolster Dakar’s economic efforts, Sonko has once again stepped forward. He previously brought to light an undisclosed debt that led to the suspension of Senegal’s IMF program back in 2024, demonstrating his consistent focus on fiscal accountability.
In his commentary, Ousmane Sonko stated: “We have closely monitored the successive announcements from both the IMF and the Senegalese government concerning a technical agreement. This accord will only achieve its final status upon later approval by the Fund’s executive board.”
He further elaborated that the diplomatic language employed by both parties offers no specific details about the proposed agreement, nor does it clarify the precise commitments undertaken by Senegal, as indicated in the IMF’s communiqué. Sonko raised several crucial questions:
- What exactly are Senegal’s commitments regarding the “treatment of its debt”?
- Which major reforms are envisioned, particularly concerning the viability of public finances, safeguarding vulnerable households, mobilizing domestic resources, rationalizing expenditures, social safety nets, oversight of public enterprises, and the overall business environment?
- What is the status of the international debt audits that were previously demanded?
These are all significant commitments that directly affect every Senegalese citizen, as they are made in their name and will impose current and future burdens solely upon them.
Having actively participated in these discussions for many months and being privy to certain directions that, in his view, merely echo past errors, Sonko calls 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, Sonko formally requests that the government of Senegal:
- Publish this memorandum to ensure accurate public information and to facilitate a healthy debate on Senegal’s undertakings;
- Alternatively, transmit the document to the National Assembly, as the representative body of the people.
Ultimately, the broad strokes of these commitments will be outlined either in a potential supplementary finance law (LFR) or within the draft finance bill for the year 2027, both of which are slated for submission to the National Assembly in October 2026.
“And the debate,” Sonko concluded, “will certainly take place!”
