Passation au Ministère de l'Economie : Le testament doctrinal d'Abdourahmane Sarr à Cheikh Diba
At the official handover ceremony, Abdourahmane Sarr formally passed the reins of his department to Mr. Cheikh Diba, now head of the unified Ministry of Economy, Finance, and Planning. Upon leaving office, he bequeaths to his successors a doctrinal legacy structured around macroeconomic discipline, the driving role of the private sector, and the concept of "Liberal Sovereignty." In his address, the outgoing minister also expressed his satisfaction with the return to a unified institutional framework, a strategic choice he had long advocated.
For Abdourahmane Sarr, Senegal's future will not be built in isolation, but at the heart of the regional space. He theorized before his colleagues the concept of "Liberal Sovereignty," summarized by the formula "Moom Sa Bopp Menel Sa Bopp, Yewwi Rewmi, Yewwi Gox Yi, Yewwi Nit Gni" (roughly translated as "You are your own boss, you are your own boss, you are your own people"). According to him, economic sovereignty and integration within the WAEMU are mutually reinforcing.
He notably defended the strength of the West African model, based on "a stable common currency, a credible central bank," and a high-performing regional capital market. It was this regional market, in fact, that dictated the development of the ministry's debt strategy, an approach validated by experience. Faced with the growing role of non-resident investors, he urged the region to deepen its financial market, create a regional sovereign wealth fund, and increase its monetary autonomy. "Economic sovereignty cannot be decreed. It must be built," he emphasized, recalling the IMF's doctrine that "states choose, and the IMF supports them in the credible choices they have made."
Recalling his liberal convictions, he also stressed that "economic freedom, private initiative, competition, innovation, individual and collective responsibility, and macroeconomic discipline constitute the indispensable foundations of productivity."
The relevance of a unified ministry in the face of economic challenges
A proponent of integrated government services, Abdourahmane Sarr recalled that he had published an article in 2019 opposing the separation of economic and budgetary functions. "My conviction was simple: economic, budgetary, financial, and planning policies produce better results when they are designed and implemented within a coherent, unified framework," he reaffirmed. This is why he welcomes the revitalization of the Ministry of Economy, Finance, and Planning under the leadership of Cheikh Diba, assisted by his two deputy ministers, Allé Nar Diop and Bassirou Sarr.
The former minister, however, insisted that the success of this new team will depend on flawless coordination upstream, particularly on issues of macroeconomic framework, debt strategy, project maturation and quality of spending.
The assessment of the "important milestones" set for the future
Abdourahmane Sarr leaves the government with a sense of duty fulfilled, thanking President Bassirou Diomaye Faye and Ousmane Sonko for their trust. During his tenure, several structural reforms were undertaken to guide Senegal's economic trajectory.
In terms of planning, his teams actively participated in the development and implementation of the "Senegal Vision 2050 in its first five-year version 2025-2029".
Keen to revitalize the economic fabric, he also designed the "National Strategy for the Development of the Private Sector and the Promotion of Investment", a tool based on economic freedom and the development of territories.
To ensure lasting transparency, the ministry has established the production of a quarterly macroeconomic report, described as "a legacy to Senegal from my research center," intended to improve public debate. This is complemented by a cooperation strategy realigned with national priorities, the promotion of public-private partnerships through asset recycling, new approaches to mobilizing diaspora savings, and the consolidation of a territorial vision based on development hubs.
In passing on this doctrine to Sheikh Diba, Abdourahmane Sarr paid a heartfelt tribute to the ministry's staff, "the backbone of this institution," who had endured countless sleepless nights and made countless sacrifices. While promising to follow developments with "the eye of an independent, liberal, politically engaged, and vocal observer in the public sphere," he wished the new team every success.
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