Senegal's president has named senior economist Lo as new prime minister days after sacking his predecessor. The move comes as the country grapples with crippling debt and an internal crisis in the ruling party.
The new PM replaces Ousmane Sonko (r), who was sacked after months of simmering tensions between him and President Bassirou Diomaye Faye (l)Image: Cem Ozdel/Anadolu/picture alliance
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Senegal's President Bassirou Diomaye Faye on Monday appointed Ahmadou Al Aminou Lo as the African nation's new prime minister.
Lo is replacing Ousmane Sonko, who was sacked on Friday, after months of simmering tensions between him and the president.
The sacking led to the resignation of all the members of the government and its dissolution.
Lo, who will now have to form a new government, previously served as head of the Senegal branch of the Central Bank of West African States. He also served as state minister to the president and secretary-general of Sonko's government.
Lo knows "the inner workings of the economy and finance," a presidential decree on announcing his appointment said.
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A crippling debt crisis
After the appointment, the new prime minister appeared on state television and referred to the country's "difficult financial situation.”
"We must all be aware of the state of emergency our country currently finds itself in. In particular, the state of public finances and its impact on the economy," the new premier said. "Senegal is a safe and reliable country and intends to remain so."
Senegal has been struggling with a massive debt burden amounting to 132% of GDP.
Following the discovery of misreported debt, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) froze a $1.8 billion loan to the country. Faye and Sonko had openly disagreed on the negotiations for a revival of the program with the IMF.
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From allies to rivals
The two men were former allies from the party known as Pastef, an acronym from its French name, Patriotes Africains du Sénégal pour le Travail, l'Éthique et la Fraternité ("African Patriots for Work, Ethics and Brotherhood").
Sonko heads the party.
But he was barred from running for president in 2024 after a defamation conviction was upheld by Senegal's supreme court and the Constitutional Court dismissed his candidacy.
In the fishing district of Ngor, near Dakar, a surfing academy combines school education with catching waves. The Black Girls Surf project encourages young women to stay in school and opens doors for their future.
Image: Nicolas Remene/AFP
Back to school with surfing
Seynabou Tall's ancestors have been fishing, diving and rowing off the coast of Dakar for generations. Now, the 14-year-old is learning to surf there after dropping out of school almost four years ago. She and about 20 other girls are participating in a newly founded surfing academy, for which they had to register in a school building. Their motivation: to ride the waves.
Image: Nicolas Remene/AFP
From the waves to the classroom
Twenty-three girls aged 7 to 17 took part in the first academy in Dakar. Seventeen of them had never been to school or had dropped out. They are given surfboards and wetsuits and spend their days doing fitness training, meditation and surfing. In the evenings, they receive lessons as part of an educational program.
Image: Nicolas Remene/AFP
A village closely connected to the sea
The Corniche, in the Almadies district, is one of the most famous surfing spots on Dakar's Atlantic coast. Just a few kilometers away is Xataxely, a small fishing village in the Ngor district, where almost all of the young women come from. The area is home to the Lébou, a fishing people with close ties to the sea. The houses are often just a few meters from the beach.
Image: Nicolas Remene/AFP
Senegal's popular surfing spot
The capital's year-round first-class waves enrich the lives of young female surfers and also attract surfers from all over the world. The academy's participants often train on the famous Ngor Right, a world-renowned right-breaking wave.
Image: Nicolas Remene/AFP
A professional surfer fights for change
Khadjou Sambe (right), Senegal's first professional surfer, is herself a Lébou from Xataxely. She is the vice president of the Dakar chapter of Black Girls Surf, which launched the four-month surf academy. The US-based organization aims to attract more Black women to surfing, a sport traditionally dominated by white men.
Image: Nicolas Remene/AFP
Catching up on schoolwork with focus
The official sporting part of the program ran until the end of January, but in-school lessons will continue until July. The lack of primary education among aspiring female surfers is not uncommon in Senegal: According to the UNESCO Institute for Capacity Building in Africa, the primary school completion rate in 2022 was only 60% for girls and 55% for boys.
Image: Nicolas Remene/AFP
First academy shows results
The participants have received their first grades and most of them have achieved very good results. The success of the first academy impressively demonstrates how sport, targeted support and mentoring empower young women, not only on the water but also in the classroom, promoting their academic, personal and athletic development in the long term.
On Sunday, Parliament Speaker El Malick Ndiaye, a close Sonko ally, stepped down from his post. The move cleared the way for Sonko to become head of Parliament, which would allow him to challenge the president's authority.
MPs are scheduled to vote on Tuesday morning on the "reinstatement of the deputy Ousmane Sonko" and to elect the next president of the National Assembly, according to an official document published late Sunday.
