Ousted Prime Minister Sonko elected as new Speaker of Parliament in Senegal
On Tuesday, the ousted Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko was elected Speaker of the National Assembly with 132 out of 133 votes cast. The election took place just a few days after President Bassirou Diomaye Faye dismissed Sonko as Prime Minister on Friday and dissolved the government. The previous Speaker of Parliament, El Malick Ndiaye, had already resigned on Sunday to clear the way for Sonko to take office. Despite his dismissal, Sonko has thus risen to become the country’s second most powerful political figure. His party, the Patriotes africains du Sénégal pour le travail, l’éthique et la fraternité (PASTEF), holds a clear majority in parliament with 130 out of 165 seats.
Following Sonko’s dismissal, PASTEF – of which President Faye is also a member – rallied behind Sonko, praising his “strong leadership”, “foresight” and “remarkable work”. His subsequent election as Speaker of Parliament, with the votes of 132 out of 165 MPs, was seen as a clear rejection of Faye’s decision. However, around thirty opposition MPs boycotted the vote, leaving the chamber when Sonko entered. Aïssata Tall Sall, chair of the opposition coalition TAKKU WALLU Sénégal, described it as an “institutional coup”. MP Abdou Mbow, a member of former President Macky Sall’s party, also criticised the election as “unlawful”. Although Sonko had been elected to parliament in the November 2024 parliamentary elections, he had requested that his term be suspended following his appointment as prime minister. He therefore should not have been directly elected as speaker of the parliament. Tall Sall also called on President Faye to refer the matter to the Constitutional Council to clarify the legal situation and prevent what they viewed as “an illegality forced through by the majority”.
Faye and Sonko were long regarded as close political allies. Sonko, who is seen as Faye’s mentor and PASTEF’s most popular politician, was barred from standing in the 2024 presidential election himself due to a conviction for defamation. Instead, he supported Faye, who won the election (Press Review CW 13/2024) and subsequently appointed him Prime Minister. Together, they had campaigned on a promise to tackle corruption and reform the economy. In recent months, however, relations have deteriorated significantly. Points of contention included, in particular, the handling of the debt crisis, negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and issues of political leadership. Whilst Faye is seen as open to cooperation with the IMF, Sonko advocates a more sovereignty-oriented approach and rejects debt restructuring for the country. The tensions come at a difficult economic juncture. Senegal has been seeking a new agreement with the IMF since 2024, after the Fund suspended a $1.8 billion loan programme due to previously undisclosed government debt from the previous administration. The national debt now stands at more than 130 per cent of gross domestic product.
On Monday, Faye appointed the economist Ahmadou Al Aminou Lo, a former employee of the West African Central Bank, as the new Prime Minister. In his first speech, Lo sought to reassure investors and international partners. Senegal is a “safe and reliable country”, he said, though he acknowledged that public finances were in a “state of emergency”. Meanwhile, as the new Speaker of Parliament, Sonko criticised the fact that PASTEF had not been involved in either the appointment of the new Prime Minister or the formation of the new government. At the same time, he expressed a willingness to engage in dialogue and emphasised that he did not intend to use his new position to “fight against anyone”. Although he welcomed Lo’s appointment, he pointed to “certain differences of opinion” regarding monetary and debt policy.
According to analysts, Sonko could use his new position to exert significant influence over the country’s political agenda. As large sections of the parliamentary majority and the party’s grassroots continue to support him, he could complicate or block Faye’s political plans. The ongoing tensions between the two politicians could also hamper negotiations with the IMF and undermine the confidence of international investors.
Annual Meeting of the African Development Bank
The five-day Annual Meeting of the African Development Bank (AfDB) in the Congolese capital, Brazzaville, concludes today. Under this year’s theme, ‘Mobilising Africa’s Development Financing at Scale in a Fragmented World’, around 3,000 delegates gathered, including high-level government representatives, members of the Board of Governors, investors, and representatives from the private sector, youth organisations and civil society.
AfDB President Sidi Ould Tah, who took up his post in September last year, emphasised at the opening that the continent’s development story was at a critical turning point. In light of geopolitical developments, he said, it was necessary to mobilise more domestic capital and reduce dependencies. A key reform initiative of Tah’s is the New African Financial Architecture for Development (NAFAD). The coordination mechanism is intended to convert existing liquidity – the continent has around four trillion US dollars in industrial capital – into investable capital on a large scale. In this way, NAFAD aims to help close Africa’s annual development financing gap, estimated at around 400 billion US dollars. At the African Forward Summit in Kenya (Press Review CW 20/2026), Tah already received broad support from African heads of state and government for his reform plans; at the Annual Meeting, the aim is now to secure the approval of the Board of Governors as well.
On Monday, the banking group also presented the African Industrialisation Index (AII) 2025, which indicates that the continent’s industrial integration was relatively low between 2010 and 2024; according to the AII, intra-African trade accounts for just 14.4% of total bilateral trade. Nevertheless, 41 of the 54 countries improved their performance, whilst Morocco replaced South Africa as the continent’s leading industrial nation. The African Economic Outlook for 2026 was also presented. Overall, the assessment of the continent’s economic development is positive; however, the forecasts had to be adjusted due to exogenous shocks, in particular the disruption of value chains and rising energy prices as a result of the war in Iran. Gross domestic product growth of 4.2% is now forecast for the current year – 0.3 percentage points lower than at the start of the year and 0.2% lower than the previous year (4.4%). These calculations are based on a moderate scenario in which the war in Iran lasts two to three months. Should the conflict drag on, the growth rate could fall to 4% before the end of this year. On Wednesday, the banking group also published the Trade Finance Report 2025, which notes that, despite a challenging global environment, African financial institutions have shown comparatively high resilience since the Covid-19 pandemic. Although unmet demand for trade finance fell by almost 10% between 2019 and 2024, the financing gap remains between US$74 billion and US$92 billion. At the same time, intra-African trade accounted for 34% of bank-financed trade between 2020 and 2024, significantly exceeding pre-pandemic levels.
The Annual Meeting is the most important event for the African Development Bank, which is regarded as Africa’s leading multilateral development finance institution. This is where the Board of Governors, the AfDB’s highest decision-making body, meets to review the previous year’s performance and adopt reforms. It consists of 81 members – one governor and one alternate for each of the 54 African member states and 27 non-African partner countries, including Germany.
In other news
Last Friday, UNESCO’s four-day Africa Week 2026 came to a close at UNESCO headquarters in Paris. Under the theme “Ensuring sustainable access to water and safe sanitation systems to achieve the goals of Agenda 2063”, the event brought together representatives from the worlds of politics, culture, academia and civil society. At the opening, UNESCO’s Deputy Director-General, Åsa Regnér, and the Congolese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner – the DRC held the presidency of this year’s Africa Week – emphasised the central importance of water and sanitation for development, health, education, peace and regional cooperation in Africa. At the youth forum, held for the first time, participants from African countries presented ideas on sustainable water management, sanitation and climate resilience. The forum’s pitch competition was won by 27-year-old Patricia Mwangelwa Longwani from Zambia, who impressed the jury with a solar-powered, AI-supported smart compost bin that converts organic waste into compost. In addition, Africa Week included an African book fair, events on African design and memory culture, and a cultural gala to mark the conclusion. The series of events took place on Monday to mark Africa Day, which commemorates the founding of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), now the African Union (AU), in 1963.
Event recommendations
African Book Festival 2026
The African Book Festival kicks off today at tak – Theater Aufbau Kreuzberg in Berlin. Under the theme “Welcome to the Club”, visitors can look forward to a varied programme of readings, discussions and workshops throughout the weekend. As the theme suggests, this year’s festival was curated by the audience themselves. This allowed interested parties to actively participate in shaping the festival programme in advance by submitting suggestions for topics, guests and formats. The event kicks off with “Welcome to the Club – Stories Across Continents”. Accompanied by music from DJ PAM BAM, this event offers the chance to meet authors and book clubs and browse the Festival Book Shop. On Saturday, authors Karen Jennings and Dudu Busani-Dube, along with author Troy Onyango, will discuss opportunities for literary and artistic development in the face of economic uncertainty, as well as the growing importance of literary prizes and grants. The annual African Book Festival is organised by the InterKontinental e.V. association, which is dedicated to promoting African and Afro-diasporic literature in Germany.
KeNaKo Africa Festival 2026
From 4 to 14 June, the KeNaKo Africa Festival 2026 will take place on Washingtonplatz at Berlin Central Station. Under the theme ‘Peace in Times of Global Warfare’, panel discussions and lectures will be held daily from 11 am to 10 pm, examining the global interconnections of armed conflicts and their impact on Africa and the Global South. The focus will be on knowledge gaps, post-colonial perspectives and the social and humanitarian consequences of wars that threaten sustainable development, education, health and social stability worldwide. In addition, visitors can look forward to a diverse programme of music and performing arts, numerous hands-on activities for young and old, and a market featuring arts and crafts, clothing, food and much more. All events are free of charge.