By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Senegal has announced plan to shutdown 19 agencies of the government which account for about 1,000 jobs, as the West African nation aims to save at least 55 billion CFA francs ($97.95 million) over the next three years, to deal with its rising debt profile, a statement said.
Senegal is grappling with debts that reached 132% of gross domestic product at the end of 2024, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which temporarily halt its borrowing programme after discovering a hidden debt under previous government.
The government in a statement after its weekly Council of Ministers meeting on March 4 said it would also focus on strengthening controls and evaluations, harmonising pay scales and ensuring optimal use of budgetary funds.
The 19 agencies have a workforce totalling 982 and had a combined budget allocation of 28.051 billion CFA francs ($49.96 million) in 2025, according to the statement, which did not identify the affected entities.
Their annual payroll is estimated at 9.227 billion CFA francs and their total debt stood at 2.6 billion CFA francs at the end of 2024, the statement said.
Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko has dismissed the idea of a restructuring its debt repayment plan, despite Senegal’s difficulty in meeting up with the schedule.
Senegal has been relying on the regional debt market to meet its financing needs.
