Senegal reached a staff-level agreement with the International Monetary Fund for a US$2.2 billion, three-year lending programme as the government seeks to restore debt sustainability after uncovering more than US$11 billion of previously misreported borrowing. The agreement still requires approval from IMF management and its Executive Board.
The deal follows months of negotiations after the IMF froze a previous US$1.8 billion programme when the scale of the undisclosed debt became clear. Senegal’s public debt reached about 132% of GDP at the end of 2024. Some estimates put the hidden borrowing closer to US$13 billion, equal to more than a quarter of the country’s roughly US$40 billion economy.
Senegal said it agreed to an enhanced framework to address its debt burden, without disclosing the measures involved. The IMF said the government must take corrective action linked to the past misreporting. Planned reforms include stronger debt management, more fiscal transparency and changes to public spending. Authorities are also preparing a revised budget.
Implementation could face political pressure. Former prime minister Ousmane Sonko opposed an IMF-led debt restructuring before leaving the government and now serves as president of the National Assembly. The new IMF programme is expected to provide an anchor for other financing, including support from development institutions, but restoring access to capital will depend on Senegal reducing debt risks and rebuilding confidence in its public finances.
The US$2.2 billion IMF agreement gives Senegal a route back to international financial support, but the loan itself will not solve the country’s debt problem. Public debt of about 132% of GDP means the government needs to reduce financing costs, control spending and address the structure of its existing obligations.
The hidden-debt issue makes the process harder because creditors must also regain confidence in the government’s financial data. Better debt reporting, centralised borrowing controls and monitoring of arrears will therefore be as important as budget cuts. An IMF programme can help by providing financing and encouraging the World Bank and other institutions to resume support, reducing Senegal’s dependence on more expensive market borrowing. The political challenge is how to restore debt sustainability without cutting services or investment needed for growth. Senegal has new oil and gas production that can support revenue, but those proceeds alone will not offset the size of the debt burden. The next test is the structure of the debt treatment and how much relief creditors will be asked to provide.
Wall Street Journal
