A look into Senegal's President Diomaye Faye's first 100 days in office

Senegal’s President Basirou Diomaye Faye, Africa's youngest, is marking 100 days in office with questions about whether he is lifting Senegal's economic burden.

Diomaye faced the huge challenge of reducing the prices of basic commodities like bread, oil and sugar. In June, his government took measures that saw prices of basic commodities remain stable.

Diomaye has also initiated audits in key sectors like oil, gas and mining.

Additional audits are being conducted on public ministry accounts and coastal constructions.

Projects on public maritime domains have been halted since May to ensure compliance. However, the audit results are not yet available.

The new government has also promised to reform extensively the justice system. It has acted swiftly by organizing forums that produced a dozen recommendations.

Diomaye is also helping reduce tension between the Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS) and the coup-hit nations like Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. ECOWAS appointed him as a facilitator in discussions with the Sahel alliance, where he will work on reconciliation and dialogue.

In his first 100 days, President Faye visited Mali, Burkina Faso, Gambia, Mauritania, Nigeria, and Côte d'Ivoire to meet with heads of state and manage bilateral issues.

However, several projects have faced delays. A bill on the protection of whistleblowers was supposed to be finalized by May 15 but has not yet been presented to the National Assembly. Another delayed project is the establishment of a commission to compensate victims of the 2021-2024 protests.

Additionally, some appointments without open calls for applications, contrary to the president’s promises, have caused discontent. Several dozen senior administrative positions are affected.