Macky Sall elects a new open government to revive Senegal's economy
After dissolving the government last Wednesday, the President of Senegal, Macky Sall, has formed a new cabinet made up of 33 ministers and open to representatives of the opposition with the firm intention of reactivating the country's economy.
In an official statement, Seydou Gueye, government spokesman, said that the new executive "also bears the mark of an important rejuvenation of the team to optimise the human capital of Senegalese youth". A sector such as that of Senegalese youth that has been diminished by emigration to other nations due to lack of employment.
This is the first government reform since Macky Sall's re-election as president in February 2019 and it aims to revive the national financial aspect taking into account the "current context of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts". The challenge is "to generate a constructive dynamic of innovation, transformation, achievements and changes necessary to accelerate the emergence of Senegal," according to spokesperson Gueye in the official statement issued from the presidential palace.
With this political movement, some members closely linked to the previous government team have been removed and seven new people from the opposition have been welcomed to form an Executive that has grown from 32 ministers and three secretaries of state to 33 and four respectively. Above all, Macky Sall carried out a major clean-up and "a significant rejuvenation of the team", as Seydou Gueye pointed out.
This government "of openness and unity" is marked by the arrival of several representative figures from the opposition "in the dynamics of the consensus resulting from the political dialogue", as Seydou Gueye explained. "The government thus established is marked by political openness in the dynamics of consensus resulting from broad and inclusive national dialogue," the executive spokesman said.
Among the most significant changes, the former Prime Minister of Abdoulaye Wade, Idrissa Seck, replaces Aminata Touré as President of the Economic, Social and Environmental Council (EESC). Macky Sall's main opponent in the 2019 presidential elections, in which he came in second place, Idrissa Seck was even singled out as the future leader of the opposition.
The new appointments are accompanied by the departure of former Prime Minister Aminata Touré from the presidential team, Touré having been appointed Director of the EESC in May 2019.
Oumar Sarr, leader of the opposition Liberal and Democratic Party, also enters the Cabinet to take over the Ministry of Mines and Geology.
Among the surprise departures from this reorganisation are those of important names from the previous government, such as the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amadou Ba, and the Minister of the Interior, Aly Ngouille Ndiaye.
The lawyer Aïssata Tall Sall, who initially rejected rapprochement with Macky Sall's coalition, became foreign minister. Meanwhile, Aly Ngouille Ndiaye is replaced in the Ministry of the Interior by Antoine Félix Diome, the former deputy prosecutor of the Court for the Suppression of Illicit Enrichment (CREI).
In addition, some government heavyweights retain their former positions. Sidiki Kaba thus remains minister of the armed forces; Abdoulaye Daouda Diallo remains in finance; and Amadou Hott in the economy. Mansour Faye, for his part, moved from the Ministry of Community Development to the Ministry of Infrastructure.
In the current context of the coronavirus crisis and its impact, Seydou Gueye indicated that the renewed Cabinet will provide "a constructive dynamic of innovations, transformations, achievements and changes needed to accelerate Senegal's resurgence in peace, security, stability, prosperity and social and territorial equity.
Macky Sall, who has led this West African country since 2012, suddenly dissolved the government on 28 October without giving any explanation for this drastic measure, which has led to the formation of the new executive.
