LFR: “I remain convinced that we can get along” (PM)

The Senegalese Prime Minister, Ahmadou Alhaminou Mohamed Lô, said he was convinced, in an interview with France 24, that an agreement remains possible around the amended finance bill, rejected on October 23 by the deputies of Pastef, the majority party in the National Assembly.

“I remain convinced that we can agree,” declared the head of government, who asked for discussions to continue and said he was willing to examine the amendments proposed by parliamentarians.

Interviewed from Dakar by France 24, a few days before the opening of the Youth Olympic Games (YOG), the Prime Minister considered that the text could still be adopted, despite the tensions between the government and the majority deputies.

Beyond this parliamentary disagreement, Ahmadou Alhaminou Mohamed Lô insisted on the urgency of restoring the sustainability of the Senegalese public debt.

“We must address Senegal’s debt. We must once again make it viable by discussing with both our official creditors and our private creditors,” he declared.

The head of government also affirmed that his predecessor, Ousmane Sonko, currently president of the National Assembly, shared this concern.

“In my last exchanges with Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, currently President of the National Assembly, it was clear that he was of the opinion that the trajectory of the debt was not sustainable and that it had to be addressed,” he said.

According to him, the differences that have emerged since then do not mean that the President of the National Assembly has given up on the need for debt treatment.

“He never ruled out dealing with the debt,” he insisted.

Furthermore, a few days before the start of the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, the Prime Minister assured that Senegal was ready to welcome international delegations.

He expressed the hope that this competition would contribute to strengthening the prospects offered to Senegalese youth and to “consolidate the hope that we give to our young people”.

The search for a compromise around the amending finance law thus remains a major challenge for the government, in a context marked by the imperatives of recovery of public finances and the preparations for this international sporting event.