Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has appointed veteran economist Ahmadou Al Aminou Lo as prime minister, signalling a sharp shift in strategy as the country grapples with a deepening debt crisis, frozen IMF support, and growing political uncertainty.
The appointment came just three days after Faye dismissed former Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, his longtime political ally, whose increasingly confrontational stance had exposed fractures at the top of Senegal’s ruling coalition.
Lo, a former head of the Senegal branch of the Central Bank of West African States, immediately sought to calm investor and business nerves following his appointment on Monday, May 25, 226.
Appearing on state television, the new prime minister acknowledged the scale of Senegal’s financial troubles while insisting the country remained a credible destination for investment.
“We must all be aware of the state of emergency our country currently finds itself in,” Lo said, pointing specifically to deteriorating public finances and mounting economic pressure.
