By Ebi Kesiena
President of Senegal Macky Sall has reinstated the post of prime minister, appointing former Foreign minister Amadou Ba to the job, two months after a tense legislative election in which Salls ruling coalition lost its majority in the parliament.
Ba’s appointment re-establishes the position of prime minister in the country following its abolition in April 2019.
It comes at a time when the West African country is struggling with economic hardship, partly stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic and global fallout linked to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
President Sall said the new prime minister would be responsible for addressing the rising cost of living.
“Measures to reduce the cost of living and support employment and entrepreneurship for young people, the fight against floods and costly rents will remain the highest of priorities for me,” Sall said in a speech broadcast on Friday ahead of the appointment.
Amadou Ba echoed these statements on Saturday. “The major priorities that the president has outlined include improving household purchasing power, taming inflation, security, housing, vocational training, employment and entrepreneurship.”
Ba would also lead a new cabinet formed after parliamentary elections narrowly won by Sall’s ruling coalition .
Recall that Sall scrapped the position of prime minister in 2019. The opposition and parts of civil society denounced his move as an attempt to seize greater power.
However, concerns over his rule persist, and some have accused him of wanting to break the two-term limit and run again in 2024.
