A few hours after being elected President of Senegal on Tuesday evening, Bassirou Diomaye Faye appointed his main electoral supporter, Ousmane Sonko, to the post of Prime Minister, promising a “radical change” at the head of state.
The first changes that the new Senegalese government is seeking to make, particularly in the economic sector and in international cooperation, are to reconsider agreements with France and to seek new, more reliable and powerful allies within the African continent, such as strengthening cooperation with the countries of the Alliance of Sahel States.
“Senegal under my leadership will be a country of hope, a country at peace with an independent justice system and a strengthened democracy,” declared Bassirou Faye following his election.
With regard to the national currency, the new head of state wishes to create a new currency that symbolizes economic independence, following the initiative of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso to abandon the CFA franc. This currency is considered a tool of colonization by the Sahel countries.
On this subject, Niger’s transitional president, General Abdourahamane Tchiani, has raised the possibility of creating a common currency with Burkina Faso and Mali.
“The currency is a step out of this colonization,” the general told Niger’s national television, referring to the CFA franc inherited from French colonization.
Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali announced last month that they were leaving the political and economic bloc, a blow to its unity, after the bloc put pressure on them to return to democracy.
The joint declaration states that the organization, “under the influence of foreign powers, is betraying its founding principles and has become a threat to its member states and their peoples”.
Leaders of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) countries continue to expand the group with other members such as Senegal, and the creation of a regional economic bloc impact.
Senegal’s accession to the organization will greatly contribute to the development of the partnership between the member states and increase their economic growth, as well as freeing the region from the control of foreign forces for several decades.
