Ousmane Sonko demands transparency from government on new IMF loan agreement
Ousmane Sonko, President of the National Assembly and leader of Pastef, has reacted to the provisional agreement between the International Monetary Fund IMF and Senegal for a $2.2 billion loan. Sonko, a former Prime Minister, is calling for "absolute transparency" from the government regarding the exact commitments made by Dakar. He states that the diplomatic language used by both the IMF and the Senegalese government provides insufficient information on the details of the draft agreement and Senegal's commitments as outlined in the IMF's statement. Sonko raises several questions, including Senegal's commitments on debt treatment, planned reforms concerning public finance viability, protection of vulnerable households, domestic resource mobilization, expenditure rationalization, social safety nets, public enterprise oversight, and the business environment. He also questions the status of international debt audits that were previously demanded. Sonko emphasizes that these commitments affect all Senegalese citizens, who will bear their current and future burden. Drawing on his direct experience in the matter, he asserts that he participated in these discussions for many months and is aware of certain orientations that he believes repeat past errors, hence his call for absolute transparency. He reminds that such negotiations typically result in a "draft document, called a memorandum of economic and financial policies, validated by both parties." Sonko makes a dual request to the
