COUNCIL OF MINISTERS OF WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2, 2025 COUNCIL OF MINISTERS - 2025 APRIL 02 The Head of State, His Excellency Mr. Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar FAYE, presided over the weekly Council of Ministers meeting on Wednesday, April 2, 2025, at the Palace of the Republic. At the outset of his address, the Head of State extended his warm congratulations and best wishes to the Islamic Ummah on the occasion of the celebration of Eid El Fitr (Korité), marking the end of the blessed month of Ramadan. In this special moment, he prayed alongside the entire Nation for a Senegal of peace, stability, and prosperity, rooted in justice and solidarity. He commended the Government and state services for their efforts in ensuring the control of supplies and prices across the national territory. On Tuesday, April 2, 2024, the President of the Republic took his oath of office before the Nation, marking the start of his tenure. On this Wednesday, April 2, 2025, the anniversary of his ascension to the highest office, he congratulated the Prime Minister, Mr. Ousmane SONKO, and the entire Government for the exceptional work of rectification and recovery carried out tirelessly during this pivotal year. In the context of the systemic transformation underway, he urged the Prime Minister, Head of Government, to take all necessary measures to accelerate the implementation of projects, programs, and reforms in each ministry, prioritizing social dialogue in line with the guiding principles and objectives of the Vision for a sovereign, just, and prosperous Senegal. The Head of State places great importance on fulfilling the political commitments he made to the Nation. In this regard, he reiterated his directives concerning the sustained improvement of living conditions for the population, particularly in rural areas, by promoting access to basic social services (water, electricity) and universal health coverage, while ensuring an effective fight against the high cost of living through optimal regulation of goods and services markets. In this spirit, he praised the significant efforts made by the Government, which led to a price reduction, effective April 4, 2025, of a kilogram of rice from 450 FCFA to 350 FCFA, a decrease of 100 FCFA. He instructed the Prime Minister to expedite, alongside the Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty, and Livestock, and the Secretary of State for Cooperatives and Farmer Support, the deployment of the National Food Sovereignty Strategy through optimal preparation for the upcoming 2025 agricultural production campaign and the finalization of the revision of the agro-sylvo-pastoral law. Furthermore, it is imperative to develop all mechanisms to strengthen the Social and Solidarity Economy, as well as the community cooperatives launched, and to intensify the effective establishment of Territorial Poles. Additionally, the President of the Republic requested the Prime Minister and the Ministers of National Education, Vocational and Technical Training, and Higher Education, Research, and Innovation to take all necessary measures to ensure the smooth conduct of teaching, examinations, and competitions scheduled across the national territory. In anticipation of Labor Day on May 1, 2025, the Head of State urged the Government and social partners to finalize the new social stability pact, essential for establishing, under the best conditions, Senegal’s attractiveness, the development of the private sector, the revival of the national economy, and the deployment of innovative strategies and policies to promote employment. He informed the Council that he will preside over the opening of the 4th Social Conference in April, dedicated to the theme of youth employability and employment. The President of the Republic emphasized that in this crucial new phase of the country’s governance, exemplary management of public finances remains vital. The same applies to the restructuring of the financing systems of our economy in their entirety and diversity. Accordingly, he instructed the Prime Minister to intensify, alongside the Minister of Finance and Budget and the Minister of Economy, Planning, and Cooperation, the economic, budgetary, financial, and administrative reforms necessary to restore and enhance the lasting credibility of our economic and financial system. In this drive for renewal and change, he asked the Government to thoroughly prepare the legislative agenda, as well as the upcoming budget orientation debate, with a new endogenous strategy for managing public finances. On this same note, he reminded the Government of the imperative to build, through consensus and trust with stakeholders, a new model of governance for our economic and financial system, to reform our administrations, and to overhaul the public sector based on a systematic culture of results, in order to effectively and exemplarily realize the collective ambition of a sovereign, just, and prosperous Senegal. Senegal will celebrate the 65th anniversary of its independence on April 4, 2025, presided over by the Head of State at the Place de la Nation in Dakar. This ceremony will feature a military salute followed by a large-scale civil and military parade. The national holiday is a major event in the republican calendar, highlighting the role and place of the Army and youth in the construction and development of the country. The President of the Republic paid a heartfelt tribute to our veterans and Defense and Security Forces, who continuously ensure the protection of the national territory, the safety of people and property, and contribute to Senegal’s international standing. This year, Independence Day will be marked by a historic decision by the Head of State to name an iconic thoroughfare in the capital—the General De Gaulle Boulevard—after President Mamadou Dia. As a reminder, this artery, formerly known as Allées Coursins, hosted the second April 4 parade (1962) by decision of Mamadou Dia, then President of the Council. Mamadou Dia, alongside Modibo Keita, was notably a co-signatory of the competency transfer agreements of April 4, 1960, which enshrined the independence of the Mali Federation (Senegal and Sudan) with General Charles De Gaulle, President of the French Republic and the French Community. Addressing the issue of preserving the attractiveness of the national tourism sector, the Head of State reminded the Government of the urgent need to take all required measures to ensure the safety of people and property at tourist sites, zones, and establishments across the national territory. Moreover, following a joint meeting between the Ministry of the Interior and Public Security and the Ministry of Tourism and Crafts, it is urgent to establish a Special Tourism Police Station and to reinforce it with adequate human resources and equipment. The Ministers in charge of the Interior, Armed Forces, and Tourism will ensure the pragmatic implementation of a new policy to secure tourist sites. An interministerial council on the revival and development of the tourism sector will ensure comprehensive handling of this issue. In his address, the Prime Minister, on behalf of the Government, first offered prayers for the President of the Republic on the occasion of the first anniversary of his swearing-in, coinciding precisely with April 2. He expressed his congratulations and those of the Government to the Head of State for his leadership, foresight, and determination in carrying out his noble mission. He reaffirmed the Government’s commitment and loyalty to achieving his vision of a sovereign, just, and prosperous Senegal. The Prime Minister then paid tribute to Professor Fatou Samba NDIAYE, Head of the Clinical Hematology Department at the Dalal Jamm National Hospital Center, and her teams, who successfully performed Senegal’s first bone marrow transplant. He welcomed this achievement, which fully aligns with the dynamic of national sovereignty promoted by the Senegal 2050 Vision. Addressing the first point of his communication, the Prime Minister returned to the persistent issue of regulating rents for residential premises, which remains ineffective, particularly in the urban area of Dakar, despite regulations in place since 2014. Given the ongoing tensions over rent, the primary expenditure for households in several urban centers, the Prime Minister stressed the need for an in-depth analysis of the factors sustaining these tensions. Beyond reviewing regulatory mechanisms, the reflection should focus on the availability of reliable data on housing supply and demand, as well as alternative instruments to encourage landlords to set rents consistent with the corrected surface methodology. He also highlighted structural factors to consider, such as shortcomings in urbanization policies and urban hubs, as well as the very limited implementation of social housing access programs. Based on these observations, the Prime Minister instructed the Minister in charge of Commerce, in collaboration with the Secretary of State for Urban Planning and Housing, the Minister of Finance and Budget, and the General Secretariat of the Government, to conduct a thorough evaluation of this matter and propose, by the end of June 2025, realistic and effective actions to amend the regulatory provisions on rent control for residential premises, following an inclusive process with all stakeholders. Addressing the second point of his communication, the Prime Minister emphasized the urgency of strengthening the internal control system within the public administration to address notable and recurring shortcomings and irregularities in the governance of the public and parastatal sectors. He noted that this situation is particularly exacerbated by dysfunctions in implementing best practices in internal control to limit risks, particularly operational risks. To this end, the Prime Minister instructed the Minister, Secretary General of the Government, to establish, under the Office of Monitoring and Coordination of the General Inspectorate of State at the Prime Minister’s Office, a working group tasked with assessing the situation and proposing an action plan to improve the functioning and effectiveness of internal inspections within ministries by no later than the end of June 2025. Pending this, he requested that Ministers provide him with an update on the execution level of the 2025 internal control program during the first quarter and ensure regular coordination meetings within ministerial departments dedicated to periodic internal control reports. UNDER THE MINISTERS’ COMMUNICATIONS: The Minister of Industry and Commerce provided an update on the work of the National Consumer Council; The Minister of National Education made a presentation on school infrastructure; The Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty, and Livestock addressed the status of the peanut marketing campaign. Amadou Moustapha Njekk SARRE Minister of Vocational and Technical Training, Government Spokesperson