Government-by-Government Assessments: Senegal
During the review period, the government made significant progress by publishing audits of the entire annual executed budget within a reasonable period. The budget was widely and easily accessible to the public, including online. The budget was substantially complete and generally reliable, except it did not include allocations to and earnings from major state-owned enterprises. Information on debt obligations was generally available. Although the government included debt of state-owned enterprises in its overall debt figures, information on the debt of individual, major state-owned enterprises was not publicly available. The government did not maintain off-budget accounts, broke down expenditures to support executive offices, and subjected the military budget to civilian public oversight. The government reviewed its budget throughout the fiscal year and actual revenues and expenditures reasonably corresponded to those in the enacted budget. The supreme audit institution, which met international standards of independence, audited the entire budget and its reports contained substantive findings. The government specified in law or regulation and appeared to follow in practice the criteria and procedures for awarding natural resource extraction licenses and contracts. Basic information on natural resource extraction awards was publicly available.
Senegal’s fiscal transparency would be improved by:
- Including in the budget financial allocations to and earnings from major state-owned enterprises; and
- Making debt obligations of major state-owned enterprises publicly available.