Key findings from the UEMOA reforms review in Dakar

The political phase of the 11th annual review of community reforms within the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) concluded yesterday in Dakar, following a one-day postponement. The session brought together the UEMOA Commission President, Abdoulaye Diop, and Senegalese authorities to assess progress on 145 reforms evaluated this year.

While Senegal maintains an overall satisfactory performance, the country saw a decline of 2.14 points compared to 2024, prompting officials to consider urgent corrective measures. The provisional implementation rate stands at 76.45% for 145 reforms, down from 78.59% in the previous evaluation cycle covering 132 reforms.

Critical areas requiring immediate attention

The drop in performance is primarily attributed to underperformance in economic governance, convergence, and structural reforms, which fell by 6.3 points. Notably, the non-submission of the 2024 report from the single window for financial statement deposits to the UEMOA Commission was flagged as a significant gap. Key sectors needing priority attention include culture, tourism, craftsmanship, quality standards, and the business climate.

The Minister of Finance and Budget, Cheikh Diba, confirmed that the findings will be presented to the Prime Minister during an upcoming meeting with the UEMOA Commission President.

Notable improvements in select sectors

Despite the overall decline, some sectors demonstrated progress. Agriculture, livestock, fishing, and environmental initiatives improved by 12 points, while human and social development saw a 6.5-point increase. The energy sector advanced by 3 points, and modernization of legal, accounting, and statistical frameworks gained 5.5 points. Authorities aim to build on these positive developments.

Abdoulaye Diop emphasized that the review process, established by an additional act of the UEMOA Heads of State Conference on October 24, 2013, is designed to evaluate collective efforts toward achieving UEMOA treaty objectives, identify shortcomings, and propose actionable recommendations. Since 2014, ten reviews have been conducted in Senegal, with generally satisfactory outcomes. This marks the eleventh edition and the second under the biennial political configuration introduced by a decision on July 8, 2023.

The Senegalese government has committed to presenting the findings to the Prime Minister, signaling a strong push to accelerate compliance with regional standards before the next review cycle.