In a sharp rebuttal to ongoing FMI scrutiny, Waly Diouf Bodian, a key political adviser to Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, vigorously defended the government’s economic recovery strategy on Friday. The exchange unfolded as Cheikh Diba, Senegal’s Finance Minister, disclosed that the Plan de Redressement Économique et Social (PRES) had already mobilized 63.4 billion CFA francs this year—a figure unveiled against the backdrop of tense negotiations with the International Monetary Fund.
PRES delivers early gains but faces steep targets
The PRES, unveiled by Prime Minister Sonko on August 1, 2024, outlines a sweeping plan to mobilize 5,667 billion CFA francs between 2025 and 2028. For 2026 alone, the government aims to secure an additional 762.6 billion CFA francs in revenue through its initial budget law. So far, 63.4 billion has been collected, including 7.9 billion from customs duties, leaving nearly 700 billion still to be recovered to meet the annual target. These figures were presented by Cheikh Diba during a session at the National Assembly.
Government counters skepticism with revenue acceleration claims
Waly Diouf Bodian pushed back against critical media narratives suggesting the PRES’s revenue collection was lagging behind projections. He contended that the plan is now generating between 15 and 20 billion CFA francs monthly, with upcoming measures targeting land registries and money transfers expected to further boost inflows in the coming months. The government’s performance will come under scrutiny this Friday during a parliamentary session where lawmakers will assess the plan’s progress against quarterly revenue benchmarks set in the budget law.
