Council of Ministers of Wednesday, February 12, 2025

The President of the Republic, His Excellency, Mr. Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar FAYE, presided over the weekly Council of Ministers meeting on Wednesday, February 12, 2025, at the Presidential Palace.

At the beginning of his communication, the President of the Republic expressed his deepest condolences to the General Khalif and the Mouride Community following the passing of Serigne Bassirou Mbacké Anta NIANG, Khalif of Darou Mouhty, on Saturday, February 8, 2025.

He asked the Government to take all necessary measures with the organizers to ensure the smooth running of the Magal of Darou Mouhty, which will be celebrated on Friday, February 14, 2025.

The President of the Republic extensively discussed the audit report of the Court of Auditors relating to the situation of public finances for the period from 2019 to March 31, 2024, which was transmitted to him by the First President of the highest financial control institution. This report, based on transparency principles, provides a clear and comprehensive view of the public finance situation over this period and highlights several serious shortcomings that require immediate action.

First, irregular revenue attachments have been identified. Some revenues were recorded in previous fiscal years, which distorted the reality of the budget deficit for certain years. This situation contributed to underestimating budget deficits, creating an imbalance in the presentation of public accounts.

The budget deficit, already concerning, reached critical levels in recent years. It increased from 9.85% in 2019 to 9.17% in 2020, 11.47% in 2021, 12.65% in 2022, and 12.30% in 2023. This rapid increase in the deficit highlights the urgent need for structural reforms to contain and reduce this historic financial imbalance.

Furthermore, he noted that significant expenditures, particularly those financed from external resources, have not been properly traced in accounting and budgetary documents. This lack of traceability creates significant gaps in budget monitoring and undermines the transparency of the state's financial operations.

The report also highlights irregular uses of special Treasury accounts. Budget transfers to state services were made without clear justification, raising serious traceability issues for public funds. Additionally, it was found that some significant expenditures were made outside established budgetary procedures, further exacerbating the lack of transparency. Moreover, the report notes discrepancies in the management of public debt.

It was revealed that excessive loans were contracted, resulting in over-financing partially used for unfunded expenditures. This exposes public finances to significant risks and increases the national debt burden. Thus, the public debt rate also experienced alarming growth over the same period. In 2019, the debt already reached 65.59% of GDP, but it rose to 75.50% in 2020, 83.58% in 2021, 86.62% in 2022, and 99.67% in 2023.

The President of the Republic indicated that this debt trajectory must be quickly reversed to preserve the sustainability of public finances and avoid compromising long-term economic balances. Finally, another concerning point is the absence of comprehensive reports on tax expenditures for the years 2022 and 2023. This significant shortcoming contravenes UEMOA directives, which require regular assessments of tax exemptions granted by the state, making it difficult to manage public finances effectively in this area. The President of the Republic assured that in response to these alarming findings, conservative and corrective measures must be taken without delay.

First, it is imperative to put an end to irregular revenue attachments and ensure that all revenues and expenditures are accounted for transparently and regularly. The Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance and Budget must take the necessary measures to ensure that budget practices strictly comply with existing rules.

Next, an in-depth audit will be conducted to reconcile the discrepancies observed in the management of expenditures financed by external resources. The President of the Republic also emphasized the need to reform the management of special Treasury accounts to ensure that budget transfers are carried out transparently and in compliance.

Additionally, it is essential to review the state's debt policy to avoid contracting excessive debt and better manage over-financing. A rigorous monitoring of loans must be put in place to ensure that funds are used in accordance with real budgetary needs.

Finally, it is imperative to produce and publish tax expenditure reports within the legal deadlines. These reports must enable transparent and rigorous management of tax exemptions in line with UEMOA directives. These reforms aim to strengthen confidence in the management of public finances and ensure better transparency for the benefit of the nation. He asked the Prime Minister, Head of Government, to ensure the implementation of these essential reforms to establish exemplary public finance management and ensure the country's economic stability.

In light of the increase in road accidents, the President of the Republic asked the Prime Minister to ensure, with the Ministers in charge of Land Transport, Armed Forces, Interior and Public Security, the strict application of the decisions taken, notably the Prime Minister's Circular on reorientation to prevent road accidents and ensure better road traffic for users, transporters, and Defense and Security Forces.

The President of the Republic recalled the urgency of strengthening driver training, ensuring rigorous regulation of the circulation of mopeds, enforcing transport vehicle traffic schedules, reorganizing the operation of bus stations, accelerating the renewal of transport and heavy goods vehicle fleets, and evaluating the actions and institutional anchoring of the National Road Safety Agency (ANASER). He asked the Prime Minister to prioritize road safety in the Government's Action Plan.

In the same vein, the Head of State instructed the Prime Minister and the Minister in charge of Infrastructure and Land Transport to finalize, before the end of March 2025, the rapid evaluation of road projects to launch the new "National Road and Highway Network Development Program." He called for fairness in the deployment of road and highway programs and projects and for the controlled development of the public company "Autoroutes du Sénégal," an entity delegated by the state to capitalize on and value the national highway heritage.

Moreover, the President of the Republic highlighted the urgency for the state to redefine the economic model for the construction, operation, and maintenance of roads and highways in Senegal by updating the regulations on the classification of national and secondary road infrastructures, including crossing structures, and reviewing the financing modalities of road infrastructures and their maintenance. In this regard, he asked the Minister of Infrastructure and Land Transport to propose a new road maintenance policy, integrating the rehabilitation of crossing structures that have particularly deteriorated during the rainy season.

On this subject, he asked the Prime Minister to ensure the strengthening of the logistical intervention means of the military engineering, which always supports the specialized state structures to ensure the continuity of road traffic and the opening up of certain areas of the country.

The Head of State also emphasized the need for a systematic review of the interventions of the PUDC, PROMOVILLES, PUMA, FERA, AGETIP, ADM, and various local authorities in terms of rural tracks and urban roads. He indicated to the Government that the time has come to consolidate all road, highway, and urban road programs in order to ensure overall coherence and pragmatic implementation of the state's policy in terms of road and highway infrastructure construction, according to a controlled schedule, axes, linears, and financing. The livestock and animal production sector remains one of the pillars of the national economy.

The President of the Republic salutes the remarkable commitment of breeders and other actors in the sector who must be further supported to better enhance the contribution of livestock and animal production to the new food sovereignty policy. He reminded the Government of the urgency of ensuring the effective and complete implementation of the provisions of the Pastoral Code in order to establish better development of the livestock sector within the ecosystem of the primary sector and national wealth.

He stressed the imperative of intensifying, on the ground, preventive and coercive measures to combat cattle theft. It is also and above all a question of ensuring better development of livestock routes, developing industrial production of animal feed, forage crops, and ruminant vaccination parks, as well as the construction of pastoral boreholes to limit the recurring conflicts with breeders noted in several localities of the country and in cross-border areas.