Bassirou Diomaye Faye, Senegal’s president, with his two wives during his inauguration ceremony in Diamniadio, Senegal. 2 April 2024. (Photo: Annika Hammerschlag/Bloomberg via Getty Images) 
Bassirou Diomaye Faye’s election as Senegal’s youngest president on 24 March was celebrated domestically and internationally as confirmation of the country’s strong democratic tradition.
Observers believe that Senegalese citizens, and the youth in particular, the Constitutional Council and religious and political actors were impressively resilient in navigating an often violent three-year political crisis. They successfully resisted attempts to extend former president Macky Sall’s term in office.
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But alongside the praise is uncertainty about how Faye and his political mentor Ousmane Sonko, who has been appointed prime minister, might conduct Senegal’s external relations. Sonko, a firebrand critic of Sall who was disqualified from elections following his imprisonment for “corrupting the youth”, endorsed Faye’s candidacy for president.
The brief campaign period prevented candidates from presenting detailed manifestos. Nevertheless, questions about a possible repositioning of Senegal are borne out by Faye and Sonko’s pre-election rhetoric. Their party — Patriotes africains du Sénégal pour le travail, l’éthique et la fraternité – and its political allies issued a campaign programme that called for reclaiming Senegal’s sovereignty. It suggested reforming the CFA franc, introducing a new national currency, ensuring mutually beneficial international partnerships, and renegotiating unbalanced natural resources contracts.
Senegalese foreign policy has traditionally featured relations with four main strategic partners: France, Saudi Arabia, the United States (US), and Morocco. It has been underpinned by principles that successive governments have adhered to since independence. These include commitments to African integration and unity, respect for the United Nations Charter and international law, and promoting regional stability.
Equally important have been pragmatism and non-exclusivity in bilateral and multilateral relations. This means Senegal is open to relations with all countries and partners to the extent that they further its national interests. While these principles may guide the Faye government, current issues and contexts could result in particular policy changes.
Economic considerations
An important area is the economic dimensions of Senegal’s external relations. The ruling coalition’s programme calls for left-wing Pan-Africanist policies ensuring greater national ownership and management of national resources. In keeping with this, Faye announced an audit of the oil, gas and mining sectors in his first speech. New Energy and Mines Minister Birame Souleye Diop reinforced this by indicating that existing contracts could be renegotiated on completion of the audit.
This comes against the backdrop of popular misgivings that some of these contracts weren’t negotiated in the interest of Senegal and wouldn’t benefit ordinary citizens. External partners and investors could therefore expect some form of economic nationalism.
However, a more cautious approach to the CFA franc’s future and Senegal’s membership of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (Waemu) could be expected. Both Faye and Sonko had criticised the lack of monetary sovereignty.
The country’s currency, used by seven other Waemu members, is pegged to the euro, and the Dakar-based central bank (BCEAO) conducts monetary policy. Faye and Sonko previously
for an exit from what they considered the tutelage of France over the BCEAO, and replacing the CFA franc with a currency that would better benefit local economies.