The Prime Minister spoke recently to allay concerns about Senegal’s financial attractiveness, following the downgrade of its sovereign rating. This situation arises from revelations relating to possible manipulations of public finances, currently being audited by the Court of Auditors, whose report is imminent.
According to the Prime Minister, despite the deterioration of the rating, no financial partner has withdrawn its support from Senegal. Ousmane Sonko declared that the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) were awaiting the conclusions of the Court of Auditors’ report. He reaffirmed that “Senegal’s signature on the financial markets remains intact”. “We have no problem raising funds, even if the signature has been a little damaged. But this signature remains intact,” he said.
For the Prime Minister, this exercise in transparency is crucial. “If this truth exercise was not carried out, we would go from 85% debt to reach 150%,” he explained. He also stressed the need to radically transform the country’s debt policy. He insisted that a development program must be managed gradually and “the first thing is to believe in ourselves. Financial institutions have not developed any country,” he insisted, indicating that budgetary and financial sovereignty must be preserved to maintain general sovereignty. “We are working in this direction,” he added.
Furthermore, the Prime Minister emphasized the importance of adopting a tax policy adapted to the realities of the Senegalese. These statements were reported by our colleague from Le Quotidien.
