Senegalese Prime Minister Sonko Accuses IMF of Keeping Africa “Poor and Docile”

Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko has sharply criticised the International Monetary Fund (IMF), accusing the institution of prioritising its own interests over Africa’s development.

Speaking on Tuesday during a question session in the National Assembly, Sonko argued that the IMF’s policies do not support the continent’s long-term growth.

“What interests the IMF is not your development. What interests the IMF is that you remain poor and docile,” the prime minister told lawmakers, as he denounced what he described as “odious debt” weighing heavily on African countries.

Referring to a recent meeting in Addis Ababa with American economist Jeffrey Sachs, Sonko said there was a “strong convergence of views” between them. He maintained that Africa needs significant fiscal flexibility rather than debt cancellation or restructuring.

“You don’t need austerity, you need growth,” Sonko insisted, advocating for a 20- to 30-year moratorium on debt servicing to allow African countries to prioritise economic expansion.

Citing China’s economic transformation in the 1980s and India’s rapid growth in the early 2000s, he declared that “it is Africa’s turn to take flight.”

He called for endogenous annual growth of at least 10 percent, with a strong focus on infrastructure and education. According to Sonko, a small group of African leaders with shared political will could spearhead this agenda without waiting for consensus among all 55 countries on the continent.