Ousmane Sonko, the esteemed former Prime Minister and current President of the National Assembly, has publicly shared his definitive perspective on the latest agreement forged between the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the government of Sénégal. Through an announcement on his official Facebook page, the head of the parliamentary institution indicated that a thorough debate would be initiated to scrutinize the full implications and specifics of this renewed cooperation.
Following the announcement of a new accord between the IMF and Sénégal, which includes a substantial loan program of over $2 billion, equivalent to approximately 1,245 billion CFA francs, aimed at supporting Dakar, former Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko has re-emerged with his concerns. Sonko had previously exposed the existence of a hidden debt, an issue that led to the suspension of the International Monetary Fund’s program for Sénégal back in 2024.
Ousmane Sonko stated: “We have been monitoring the successive announcements from both the IMF and the Senegalese government regarding a technical agreement, which will only become definitive upon later approval by the Fund’s executive board.”
However, he noted that the diplomatic language employed by both parties offered no detailed insight into the draft agreement or Sénégal’s commitments as outlined in the IMF communiqué. He posed several critical questions:
- What are Sénégal’s precise commitments concerning its « debt treatment »?
- Which major reforms are anticipated, covering areas such as fiscal sustainability, safeguarding vulnerable households, enhancing domestic revenue, streamlining expenditures, social safety nets, oversight of state-owned enterprises, and fostering a favorable business environment?
- What is the current status of the international debt audits that were previously mandated?
He stressed that these undertakings directly impact all Senegalese citizens, who will ultimately bear the current and future financial burden.
Drawing on his extensive involvement in these discussions over many months and his awareness of certain policy directions that he believes merely replicate past errors, Sonko issued a powerful plea for absolute transparency.
Given that such negotiations typically culminate in a draft document, known as the Memorandum of Economic and Financial Policies, which is validated by both parties, Sonko formally requested that the government of Sénégal:
- To publicly release this memorandum, ensuring accurate information and fostering a healthy debate on Sénégal’s commitments;
- Alternatively, to transmit it to the National Assembly, the popular representative body.
He concluded by affirming that the broad outlines of these commitments would inevitably be incorporated into a potential supplementary finance law (LFR) or the draft finance bill for the year 2027, slated for submission to the National Assembly in October 2026.
“And the debate will certainly take place!” he declared.
