Sonko clamps down on public officials’ foreign travel expenses

Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko has launched a sweeping crackdown on what he describes as excessive foreign travel by senior officials, introducing strict new controls over international missions by ministers and state enterprise directors.

Under the revised guidelines, all travel requests by government ministers will now require automatic approval from the Prime Minister’s Office, effectively blocking unchecked discretion. However, Sonko admitted that directors-general of public agencies had previously operated with greater autonomy, often citing ministerial oversight as justification for their extended stays abroad.

The Premier Minister shared his concerns after reviewing travel reports from the past quarter. His findings revealed alarming patterns: some directors-general spent as much as a third of the last 90 days outside the country, racking up trips of 30, 20, or even 15 days at a stretch. Sonko described the revelations as “staggering,” signaling the urgent need for structural reform.

To address these discrepancies, a comprehensive overhaul of the foreign mission validation system is now underway. Going forward, all overseas travel by directors-general will require direct clearance from the Prime Minister’s office, eliminating reliance on ministerial intermediaries. The move underscores a broader effort to streamline administrative spending and restore fiscal discipline within Senegal’s public sector.

Sonko’s announcement reflects growing public frustration over perceived extravagance in government travel, a trend he has vowed to curtail through tighter oversight and accountability measures.