In 2025, Senegal experienced a minor decline in its execution of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA)’s community reforms, policies, programs, and projects. This occurred despite authorities generally deeming the overall outcomes satisfactory.

The official findings from the political phase of the 11th Annual Review of UEMOA’s community initiatives, hosted in Senegal, indicated an average implementation rate of 76.45% for 2025. This marks a decrease of 2.14 percentage points compared to the 78.59% recorded in 2024. This year’s assessment encompassed 145 reforms, an increase from 132 in the previous cycle.

These figures were unveiled following deliberations involving Senegalese state officials and the UEMOA Commission. The session was chaired by Cheikh Diba, the Minister of Finance and Budget, alongside Abdoulaye Diop, the President of the UEMOA Commission.

Minister Diba attributed this modest downturn primarily to observed setbacks in the management of reforms related to economic governance and convergence, which saw a decline of 1.3 percentage points. Sectoral reforms also registered a significant drop of 6.03 points. However, this underperformance was partially offset by gains in the common market, which improved by 0.91 points.

The Minister further elaborated that the challenges encountered in economic governance and convergence stemmed chiefly from the delayed submission of the 2024 Single Window for Financial Statement Filing (GUDEF) report to the UEMOA Commission during the technical review.

Despite this overall regression, several key sectors demonstrated positive advancements. Notable progress was made in the harmonization of the legal, accounting, and statistical frameworks for public finances, increasing by 1.83 percentage points. The customs union advanced by 4.55 points, while the agriculture, livestock, fisheries, and environment sectors collectively saw a rise of 2.12 points. Human and social development recorded a substantial gain of 6.58 points, and the energy and mining sectors progressed by 3.33 points.

Cheikh Diba highlighted that the most significant achievements among structural reforms were observed in areas such as culture, tourism, crafts, quality standards, and the overall business climate.

New commitments to steer a positive course

For the Minister of Finance and Budget, these results necessitate focused attention and immediate corrective actions. Consequently, the Senegalese government is committed to implementing the necessary measures to solidify existing achievements, enhance performance, and systematically address identified deficiencies.

According to Minister Diba, substantial efforts are still required, particularly in finalizing document validation processes, providing essential supporting documentation, and ensuring the effective execution and monitoring of community programs and projects.

The political phase of this review successfully validated the outcomes from the technical phase, thereby reinforcing the dedication of the Senegalese administration and its highest authorities to the implementation of community reforms.

Cheikh Diba believes that, despite the remaining areas for improvement, these results align with a broader positive trend observed across UEMOA member states, where significant progress in reform implementation has also been recorded.

The Minister reiterated that, for Senegal, strengthening regional integration remains a paramount objective. In this light, the conclusions of this political phase will be presented to Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko during an upcoming audience with the President of the UEMOA Commission.