Senegal’s Prime Minister clamps down on excessive foreign travel by public officials

Dakar — Senegal’s Prime Minister has launched a sweeping crackdown on what he describes as extravagant foreign travel by senior government officials and state-owned enterprise directors. The new measures aim to curtail unchecked overseas missions, which have come under sharp scrutiny for their frequency and duration.

The Prime Minister’s office has introduced stricter protocols governing travel requests, particularly for ministers and directors-general. While ministers now face near-automatic rejections for non-essential trips, the government is turning its attention to directors-general, who previously operated under more flexible oversight.

Surprise audit reveals excessive travel patterns

An internal review of travel records over the past three months has exposed concerning trends. Officials discovered that some directors-general spent up to a third of the quarter abroad—30 days out of 90 in certain cases. These findings prompted immediate action to tighten controls and prevent further abuse.

In a statement, the Prime Minister emphasized the need for accountability: « I recently requested a full report on travel during the last quarter. The results shocked me. Some directors-general were absent from the country for 20, 15, or even 30 days during a single 90-day period. This level of absenteeism is unacceptable and will no longer be tolerated. »

Reforms to centralize travel authorization

To address the issue, the government is overhauling the travel authorization system. Moving forward, all overseas missions by directors-general will require direct approval from the Prime Minister’s office. This reform aims to eliminate loopholes and ensure that every trip aligns with national priorities.

The Prime Minister underscored the importance of transparency: « From now on, directors-general will no longer report to their respective supervisory ministries for travel approval. All requests must come to me. This change will bring much-needed discipline to our administrative practices. »