Senegal: Court of Auditors blasts financial management under Macky Sall

The Senegalese Court of Auditors has just thrown a spanner in the works by publishing a report that severely criticizes the management of public finances under former President Macky Sall. The official figures concerning debt and the budget deficit between 2019 and 2024 are being called into question, revealing worrying anomalies.

Numbers that don't add up

According to the report, the total outstanding debt of the central government as of December 31, 2023 amounts to 18,558.91 billion CFA francs, or 99.67% of GDP. A rate much higher than that announced by the previous regime. The budget deficit, for its part, has been recalculated at 12.3% for the year 2023, against the 4.9% initially declared.

Cascading failures

The Court of Auditors does not stop there. It also points out discrepancies in the outstanding public debt, anomalies in the overfinancing of state projects and shortcomings in the management of bank deposits. Worse still, a significant bank debt was allegedly contracted outside the budgetary circuit and not recorded in the state accounts.

Chain reactions

Faced with these revelations, the current government, led by President Bassirou Diomaye Faye and Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, reacted by stressing the need for immediate action to correct these excesses. They call for a rapid reversal of the debt trajectory to preserve the sustainability of public finances.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) also welcomed the report as a sign of commitment to transparency. The IMF plans to analyze the document to determine what corrective measures should be taken.

For supporters of former President Sall, the pill is hard to swallow. Some question the timing and independence of the Court of Auditors, suggesting political manipulation.

This case raises crucial questions about transparency and accountability in the management of public funds in Senegal. Citizens, for their part, are waiting for clear answers and concrete measures to prevent such abuses from happening again in the future.