Senegal family allowances would cost 490 billion CFA francs in loans
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Senego
Senegalese MP Amadou Ba estimates that extending family allowances to one million beneficiaries would require 490 billion CFA francs in debt between 2026 and 2029. He details an annual allocation of 140 billion from 2027 and is asking the prime minister for a response with figures.
The Senegalese government plans to allocate 490 billion CFA francs to family allowances between 2026 and 2029, with the funding to be provided entirely through new loans from the World Bank, says Amadou Ba, a member of parliament and member of Pastef.
The plan provides for 70 billion CFA francs in the 2026 supplementary finance bill, followed by 140 billion a year in the initial finance bills for 2027, 2028 and 2029. Senegal’s finance minister told the National Assembly’s Finance Committee that the government would use the World Bank’s Autonomous Contingent Emergency Response Project in March 2026, according to Amadou Ba.
The MP says debt should not finance operating expenses or subsidies, but projects that create jobs and wealth. He is asking the prime minister for a response with figures on this budget trajectory, amid a controversy following the rejection of the 2026 supplementary finance bill.
The announcement comes after the Senegalese Finance Committee rejected the supplementary finance bill on 23 October. The government defended its budget choices on 24 October, before a further rejection of the revised budget was reported on 25 October.
