The Minister of Finance and Budget, Cheikh Diba, led the political phase of the 2025 UEMOA annual review in Dakar on Monday. The session brought together key figures, including the President of the UEMOA Commission, Abdoulaye Diop, and senior government officials.

This eleventh iteration of the review, now held biennially following a decision made in Bissau in July 2023, traces its origins to the Additional Act No. 05/2013 of October 24, 2013. It has been conducted in Senegal since 2014. According to Abdoulaye Diop, the review serves as a critical tool for strengthening economic integration within the West African economic bloc, enabling executive bodies to assess joint initiatives under the Union’s Treaty. The technical phase, held in Dakar from November 10 to 12, 2025, evaluated 145 reforms and five projects before the political phase validated the findings.

Mixed progress: Strengths and challenges in Senegal’s UEMOA reforms

The overall performance remains robust but shows signs of decline. In 2025, Senegal achieved an average implementation rate of 76.45% for UEMOA reforms, down from 78.59% in 2024—a drop of 2.14 percentage points. This dip is primarily attributed to underwhelming outcomes in the culture, tourism, and handicrafts sectors (-15.10 points), as well as in business climate and quality standards (-34.75 points). Delays in submitting the 2024 GUDEF report to the Commission further compounded the challenges.

On a brighter note, Senegal made notable progress in several areas: customs union implementation improved by 4.55 points, human and social development by 6.58 points, energy and mining by 3.33 points, and public finance harmonization by 1.88 points.

Technical discussions leading up to the political phase were conducted in a collaborative spirit between Senegalese officials and UEMOA teams, described as ‘fraternal, professional, and objective.’ The synthesis of these findings will be presented by Mahamadou Gado, Commissioner for Economic Policies and Domestic Taxation.

Government reaffirms commitment to regional integration

Cheikh Diba emphasized the government’s determination to enhance its regional performance, announcing that the conclusions from the political phase will be directly submitted to the Prime Minister in a meeting attended by the UEMOA Commission President. He also praised the facilitative role of Amadou Tchambou, the UEMOA Resident Representative in Dakar, in bridging the institution with Senegalese administration.

Abdoulaye Diop commended President Bassirou Diomaye Faye’s dedication to regional integration, as well as the unwavering support of Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko and the entire government in advancing the Union’s objectives.