Senegal hidden debt scandal

The Senegal hidden debt scandal is a political scandal in Senegal ongoing since 2024 over hidden national debt.[1]

History

In the 2024 Senegalese presidential election, Bassirou Diomaye Faye of the left-wing PASTEF was elected President of Sengal on an ambitious platform of reforms, after the party's leader Ousmane Sonko was controversially disqualified. Sonko was subsequently appointed Prime Minister of the new government. As part of their platform, the PASTEF government carried out an audit of government finances under the previous administration of Macky Sall. The results of the audit were announced in September, finding that the government's budget deficit was potentially at least twice as high as the previous government had reported, with potentially billions of dollars worth of public debt having been accrued without being reported.[2][3]

In March 2025, an IMF delegation headed by Edward Gemayel visited Senegal to investigate. The delegation's findings corroborated the government's audits, with Gemayel telling the press that "there was a very deliberate decision to underreport the debt during the preceding years."[4]

In November 2025, Sonko announced that the government would not seek to restructure its debt, saying that it would prefer to tackle the hidden debt via other means, including raising taxes.[5]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Soumaré, Marième (10 December 2025). "Senegal's 'hidden debt': High-level game of smoke and mirrors". The Africa Report. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
  2. ↑ Crowe, Portia (25 July 2025). "Explainer: Senegal's billions in hidden debt, and why it is an IMF headache". Reuters. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
  3. ↑ Brouck, Thaïs (15 December 2025). "Senegal's 'hidden debt' scandal: In search of the missing billions". The Africa Report. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
  4. ↑ Rich, David (26 March 2025). "Dette "cachée" au Sénégal : le FMI confirme la dissimulation et demande des gages". France24. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
  5. ↑ Cotterill, Joseph (11 November 2025). "Senegal's foreign bonds plunge as government rules out restructuring". Financial Times. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
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