Dakar – Senegal’s prime minister insisted on Thursday that his country’s substantial debt was “sustainable”, in a press conference during which he ruled out any restructuring.
As a result, the International Monetary Fund suspended a $1.8 billion aid programme it had agreed upon in 2023, pending further information and commitments from Senegal’s new authorities.
🟦 Le Premier ministre Ousmane Sonko a formellement écarté jeudi, toute perspective de restructuration de la dette du Sénégal, affirmant la volonté du gouvernement de faire face à ses engagements financiers sans recourir à une telle option.
Cette position, réaffirmée par le chef… pic.twitter.com/HS719PCkPJ
— A.P.S – Sénégal (@APS_Senegal) January 8, 2026
After several visits by the Washington-based institution to Senegal to examine the country’s finances, the IMF and the government began negotiations in mid-October for a new aid programme.
“We all know the situation we inherited has put us in difficulty (but) it is a situation that must be managed”, Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko said during a joint press conference with his Mauritanian counterpart.
“We have worked on solutions (and implemented) a recovery plan that will require a certain amount of effort and sacrifice,” he said.
Sonko has previously argued that debt restructuring, which has been suggested by Senegalese experts to ease the burden on the public finances, would be “a disgrace” for the country, tantamount to declaring “bankruptcy”.
The prime minister repeated that point again Thursday, stating that “our growth and revenue projections are reasonable”.
“We cannot understand why anyone would want to impose restructuring on us. The official position (of Senegal) is that we do not want this restructuring,” he said.
Restructuring would allow Senegal to alter its loan terms through various means, such as increasing its repayment term or cancelling part of the interest or debt.
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Source: AFP
