Revised budget 2026: The government contests any abandonment of projects and the PRES
In a series of clarifications published on its communication media, the Ministry of the Economy, Finance and Planning (MEFP) responds to questions raised by the draft amending finance law (LFR) 2026. Public investments, Economic and Social Recovery Plan (PRES) and energy subsidies, the government clarifies.
“Reprogrammed” investments, not canceled
The MEFP immediately dismisses the idea of canceling projects. The investment budget goes from 2,803.9 billion FCFA in the initial finance law (LFI) to 2,248.9 billion FCFA in the draft LFR, a drop of 555 billion FCFA. The ministry specifies that this is a reprogramming for 2027, “depending on available resources and the maturity of the projects”.
He explains this adjustment by a “triple constraint”: falling revenues, increasing irreducible expenditure and the need to contain the deficit. Once salaries, security and priority expenses were covered, two options presented themselves, reprogramming non-mature investments, or widening the deficit and debt. The government says it has chosen to postpone projects that cannot be executed on time rather than creating new backlogs.
The “adjusted” PRES, not abandoned
The ministry also rejects any abandonment of the Economic and Social Recovery Plan (PRES). At the end of September 2026, 173.3 billion FCFA were mobilized under its measures, for an initial objective of 326 billion, i.e. an achievement rate of 53.2%. The MEFP recognizes that certain lines have underperformed, notably the taxation of games of chance, that of transfers by mobile money and land regularization. The Government says it wants to “correct what works less” and consolidate what produces results, for a plan that is “more realistic, more sustainable and more effective”.
IMF: AE and CP, a distinction to understand
The ministry confirms that the agreement with the IMF conditions certain financing, with several partners awaiting a stabilized framework to continue or relaunch their disbursements. He takes the opportunity to explain the difference between commitment authorization (AE) and payment credit (CP). The first is the “green light to commit” the State legally to a project or market. The second is the funds available to pay as execution progresses. A project can therefore have AEs without being executed if the CPs are not available. For projects with external resources, donors can subordinate their disbursements to a stabilized macroeconomic framework. According to the MEFP, discussions with the IMF contribute to reassuring partners and mobilizing these resources.
Energy: subsidies more than tripled
The government confirms the strengthening of support for energy. Subsidies increase from 250 billion FCFA in the LFI to 790.3 billion FCFA in the LFR project, or 540.3 billion more. The MEFP cites the rise in international energy prices in a context of geopolitical tensions. Without this effort, the effects would have been immediate on the price at the pump, transport, cost of living and supply, specifies the MEFP. For the ministry, this strengthening protects purchasing power and ensures the continuity of energy service.
O.BA
