Senegal will shut down 19 government agencies employing nearly 1,000 people as part of cost-cutting measures aimed at easing mounting debt pressures, officials said Friday.
The plan is expected to save at least 55 billion CFA francs (about $98 million) over the next three years, according to a government statement issued after the Council of Ministers meeting on March 4.
The affected agencies collectively employ 982 people and were allocated a combined budget of 28.051 billion CFA francs ($49.96 million) for 2025, the statement said, though it did not identify which institutions would be closed.
Their annual payroll totals roughly 9.227 billion CFA francs, while their combined debt stood at around 2.6 billion CFA francs at the end of 2024.
The measures come as the West African country struggles with heavy public debt that reached 132% of gross domestic product by the end of 2024, according to the International Monetary Fund.
The IMF previously froze its lending programme to Senegal after authorities uncovered misreported debt figures.
The government said it would also tighten financial oversight, harmonise public sector pay scales and improve the use of budgetary funds as part of broader fiscal reforms.
Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko has rejected the need for a broader restructuring programme despite Senegal’s difficult debt repayment schedule. The country has increasingly relied on the regional debt market to meet its financing needs.