The 11th annual review of reforms, policies, programs and community projects of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) in Senegal opened this Monday, November 10, 2025, in Dakar. The official opening ceremony of the technical phase of this meeting was chaired by Mr. Mor Diouf, Technical Advisor and representative of the Minister of Finance and Budget of Senegal, in the presence of Mr. Amadou Tchambou, Resident Representative of the UEMOA Commission in Dakar; and Mr. Janvier Sawadogo, Head of the UEMOA mission.

More than 140 regulatory texts will be evaluated, as well as 5 community projects and programmes

The annual review of reforms, policies, programs, and community projects of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) has been held in each member state for the past decade. It allows for an assessment of the level of implementation of community reforms and projects.

Thus, during the technical phase of this annual review, which will take place from November 10 to 12, the technical team of the WAEMU Commission and national experts and focal points, representing the respective ministerial departments, will assess the situation in Senegal. This includes evaluating the implementation of community reforms in 2025; evaluating the implementation of community programs and projects in 2025; reviewing the implementation status of recommendations from the 2024 review and taking into account new recommendations; and adopting and signing the memorandum for the 2025 annual review, among other things. The work will be based on the weighting framework adopted by mutual agreement during the regional preparatory workshop for the 2025 review, held in Dakar from June 16 to 20, 2025.

In total, 145 regulatory texts and 5 community projects and programs will be evaluated, representing an investment of over 8 billion CFA francs. The findings will be recorded in a consensus memorandum, to be signed by both parties. This document will highlight Senegal's performance in implementing the WAEMU community reforms, policies, programs, and projects for the year 2025. The consolidated results will serve as the basis for the policy phase of the review, scheduled for 2026.

"The stakes of this annual exercise are of particular importance."

According to the resident representative of the WAEMU Commission in Dakar, since the review was institutionalized, the WAEMU Commission and the Union's member states have made significant progress in the regional integration process, thanks to the concrete implementation of various community projects. The launch of this technical phase illustrates "the unwavering commitment of the Union's authorities and decision-making bodies to ensuring compliance with the guidelines of the Conference of Heads of State and Government."

According to Mr. Amadou Tchambou, the stakes of this annual exercise are of particular importance. "Beyond simply evaluating the level of implementation of community reforms, programs and projects, it is about gathering concrete evidence attesting to the progress made, in order to be able to report on it objectively and transparently to the highest authorities of the Union in 2026," he stressed.

He adds: "It is therefore with a high sense of responsibility, but also with commitment and open-mindedness, that we must approach this exercise, fully aware of its scope in the preparation of the political phase of the annual review."

"The reviews carried out in Senegal have yielded conclusive results."

In his opening remarks, the Technical Advisor to the Minister of Finance and Budget explained that this technical phase of the review aims at the overall objective of accelerating the implementation of reforms and the execution of community policies, programs, and projects. It is for this reason that Senegal has been undergoing this review process since 2014.

According to Mr. Mor Diouf, the reviews conducted in Senegal between 2014 and 2024 yielded conclusive results. He believes that "Senegal's performance is due to the contribution of various stakeholders in the Senegalese administration, associations, and professional bodies, with the constant support of the highest authorities, and also facilitated by the regular annual reviews conducted under the auspices of the WAEMU Commission."

The representative of Minister Cheikh Diba also stressed that, beyond Senegal, an examination of the results of previous editions for the member states of the Union shows that "overall, significant progress has been made in the application of reforms and the execution of policies and programs."

However, Mr. Diouf points out that there is room for improvement, particularly in finalizing document validation processes, providing supporting documents, and also in the execution and monitoring of community programs and projects.

In order to meet the challenges, Mor Diouf argues that the commitment of all stakeholders in public administrations, associations and professional bodies is of paramount importance, of course under the impetus of the UEMOA Commission which, for him, has never failed.

As a reminder, the annual review of community reforms, policies, programs and projects within the WAEMU was established by an Additional Act of the Conference of Heads of State and Government of October 24, 2013. It aims to promote the acceleration of the application of community reforms, policies, programs and projects within the WAEMU in the context of deepening regional integration.

The 10th edition, conducted in 2024, highlighted significant progress in the transposition and implementation of community reforms. Senegal's performance in 2024 revealed an average reform implementation rate of 78.59%, compared to 77.53% in 2023.