Bassirou Diomaye Faye

Bassirou Diomaye Faye is the President of Senegal, in office since 2024, having been elected as the candidate of the Patriotes africains du Sénégal pour le travail, l'éthique et la fraternité (Pastef) party after his mentor Ousmane Sonko was barred from running due to a criminal conviction. Shortly after taking office, his administration disclosed that the previous government under Macky Sall (2012–2024) had misreported Senegal's public debt and budget deficit, triggering an audit by the Cour des comptes that found debt levels far exceeding official figures, eventually estimated at about 130% of gross domestic product. This disclosure froze a $1.8-billion International Monetary Fund programme and plunged Senegal into a prolonged debt crisis. Faye has overseen difficult negotiations with the IMF, culminating in a staff-level agreement in September 2026 for a $2.2-billion, three-year Extended Credit Facility, alongside plans to reprofile rather than restructure the country's debt. His relationship with Sonko, who became Prime Minister and later National Assembly speaker, deteriorated over the IMF programme, with Sonko opposing any debt restructuring as a "disgrace" to Senegal. In May 2026, Faye dismissed Sonko's government and appointed economist Ahmadou Al Aminou Lo as Prime Minister to lead the IMF talks. Faye has also sought constitutional changes, including plans to form his own political party, though a related parliamentary reform was struck down by the Constitutional Court in July 2026. He has engaged directly with IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva in Washington to advance the new support programme, and his government has pursued the renegotiation of mining agreements and expansion of Senegal's gold and energy sectors.