Senegal has resolutely committed to the path of sustainable economic development. In this context, national consultations dedicated to the reform of the public service were officially opened yesterday, Thursday January 23, 2025, by the Minister of Public Service and the reform of the public service. Several personalities, including former ministers, emeritus teachers, administrative authorities and strategic partners have parties.
The desire to endow the Senegalese public administration with its letters of nobility is part of the context of the adoption of the national transformation agenda “Senegal Vision 2050”. This objective appears as a sine qua non condition to build a strong, economically resilient and sustainable nation.
Thus, the national consultations launched in Dakar yesterday, Thursday, January 23, 2025 by Mr. Olivier Boucal, Minister of the Public Service and the Reform of the Public Service, mark a crucial stage in this process.
The ceremony saw the participation of Ms. Aminata Touré, former Prime Minister and Current Special Envoy of the President of the Republic, former public service ministers, emeritus teachers, as well as administrative authorities and national and international partners.
These consultations aims to conduct an in -depth diagnosis of the Senegalese public administration and to “rethink the methods and modes of governance of public affairs, at the service of the citizen user”, in accordance with the directives of the Prime Minister, Mr. Ousmane Sonko . The approach adopted is based on a participatory and inclusive dynamic of co-construction.
An inclusive and innovative system
The reform process will be based on the implementation of several exchanges platforms intended to involve the various stakeholders at all levels: central, regional and international, in particular with the Senegalese diaspora. A dedicated platform has also been designed to promote direct and open consultations with users-citizens, in order to collect their contributions and their concerns.
Identified evils and urgent reform
-During his speech, Mr. Olivier Boucal recalled that the Senegalese public administration faces many dysfunctions, widely documented in various reports and studies on public services and user satisfaction. He notably stressed that the findings established in the diagnostic party of the Senegal standard 2050, and recently recalled by the Head of State during the Conference of Public Administrators and Managers, highlight several issues: the overlap of the missions of certain services ; slowness in the execution of procedures; The insufficient quality of the services offered to users.
Faced with these challenges, the Minister said that “it is imperative to give substance to the orientations of the Head of State by taking concrete arrangements to rethink our governance and re -nor our administration”.
Inclusive reform to avoid marginalization
For her part, Ms. Aminata Touré stressed the importance of taking into account the specific needs of vulnerable groups, especially people living with a disability. It insisted on the need to include these populations in the context of reforms in order to avoid any risk of marginalization in access to public services.
Major public service reforms
Since its independence in 1960, Senegal has undertaken several reforms to adapt its administration to the challenges of each era. These reforms were articulated around large periods: 1960-1980; The construction of a rule of law and development of a development planning system (1960-1980) 1980-1994: the implementation of reforms relating to state deputy and structural adjustment programs (1980- 1994); initiatives aimed at improving economic and financial governance, promoting good governance and improving the quality of public services (1992); and the modernization of public administration in 2016.
The launch of national consultations in 2025 therefore marks a new step in this continuous effort to improve and transform the Senegalese administration.
