Senegal’s President Announces Renegotiation of Natural Resource Contracts and Priorities for Taxation and Price Reduction

In a press conference on Saturday, July 13, 2024, Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye marked his 100th day in office by announcing a series of significant decisions. The President emphasized the need to renegotiate contracts related to natural resources, stating that audits will be conducted on the contracts, including those with Woodside, which have already begun.

The President highlighted the importance of paying taxes, declaring that contributing to the collective effort and ensuring that taxes reach the population, as the law provides, will remain a top priority. Additionally, he emphasized the need to reduce the prices of necessities, an action that interests the population the most. To achieve this, the President revealed that the government has reallocated financial resources between priority needs and less priority needs, resulting in a reduction of everyday consumption goods costing the State 53.4 billion CFA francs.

Regarding the High Council of the Judiciary, the President announced that his decision to remain or not on the council depends on the arguments put forward by the magistrates in support of their request. He also expressed his desire to redefine the framework of military cooperation with France without considering a "brutal break", despite the reduction in French troops in Dakar in recent months.

Furthermore, the President revealed that he is considering playing the role of neutral mediator between ECOWAS and the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) due to his country’s neutral stance on the sanctions imposed by ECOWAS on Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, which led to the Sahel states withdrawing from the regional body.

These announcements demonstrate the President’s commitment to transparency, accountability, and the well-being of the Senegalese people.