The Council of Ministers was held on Wednesday, February 18, 2026, under the chairmanship of His Excellency Mr. Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar FAYE, President of the Republic.

UNDER THE HEADING OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC'S COMMUNICATION

The Head of State made a statement covering the following points:

The advent of Ramadan and Lent

The President of the Republic first extends his congratulations and best wishes to the Muslim community and the Christian community on the occasion of the beginning of the blessed month of Ramadan and Lent, before praying, along with the entire nation, for a Senegal of peace, prosperity, and solidarity. In this regard, he commends the interfaith dialogue in Senegal, strengthened by the State's ongoing support for religious worship, particularly through the General Delegation for Religious Affairs (DEGAR). Reminding the Government of the need to support communities during this exceptional period of religious fervor, the Head of State requests that resources allocated to religious worship be increased.

Evaluation and strengthening of the State's territorial action

The President of the Republic informed the Council that he had held a seminar with the regional governors on February 12, 2026, in the presence of the Prime Minister and several members of the Government. He congratulated the Minister of the Interior and Public Security and the regional governors for the quality of their representation, the work accomplished in the field, and the reports, recommendations, and projects presented during the meeting.

The Head of State insists on subsidiarity and local governance, with the effective involvement of administrative authorities, decentralized state services and local authorities in the design, implementation and monitoring and evaluation of public policies, taking into account the concerns and aspirations of the people.

In this regard, he asks the Prime Minister to ensure that the regional priorities presented by each governor and aligned with the National Transformation Agenda are addressed. Furthermore, he asks the Government to support local authorities in their modernization efforts by defining a new decentralization policy. The Head of State instructs the Government to give priority to: (i) land and urban development in local areas; (ii) improving access to drinking water for the population and establishing consensus-based governance of the rural water sector; (iii) accelerating rural electrification programs and improving road and digital access; (iv) strengthening security and basic social infrastructure in border areas and localities; and (v) developing agriculture, livestock, fisheries, and managing forestry operations.

As part of the restructuring of the State's territorial presence, the President of the Republic asks the Prime Minister and the Minister of the Interior and Public Security to ensure the implementation of the Territorial Administration Modernization Plan, a fundamental component of the systemic transformation of the public administration.

He also instructed the Prime Minister to oversee the implementation, starting in 2026, of a special program for the construction of public buildings and structures intended for the territorial administration, in order to consolidate the proximity and efficiency of the State and public services within the country.

After instructing the Minister of the Interior and Public Security to ensure the regular holding of regional conferences to assess the implementation of the National Transformation Agenda, the Head of State asks the Prime Minister to hold, every six months, an inter-ministerial meeting to monitor the State's actions in the regions.

New dynamics in national youth policy

Starting with the celebration of the national holiday on April 4th, an occasion to pay tribute to the Army and the youth, the President of the Republic indicates the essential role of youth in the influence of Senegal and the implementation of the National Transformation Agenda, Senegal 2050. To this end, he asks the Government to strengthen actions in favor of young people, to improve the economic and social environment of youth, to finalize the new Youth Policy, to ensure the establishment, before the end of the first half of 2026, of the new Youth Advisory Council of Senegal and to take the appropriate measures for the holding of the National Youth Week.

Strengthening the role of women in the National Transformation Agenda

In anticipation of the celebration of International Women's Day on March 8th, the Head of State reminds the Government of the need to solidify support for and recognition of women's contributions within the National Transformation Agenda. To this end, he requests the finalization of the draft law on women's economic empowerment, the new National Strategy for Equity and Gender Equality, and the reform to strengthen the National Observatory for Parity.

The President of the Republic finally asks the Prime Minister, the Minister of Family, Social Action and Solidarity and the Minister of Microfinance and Social and Solidarity Economy to strengthen the mechanisms for cooperation, training, support and financing for women.

Agenda of the President of the Republic

The Head of State informs the Council that he presided, on February 17, 2026, in Diamniadio, over the ceremony for laying the foundation stone of the House of Lawyers.

UNDER THE HEADING OF THE PRIME MINISTER'S COMMUNICATION

The Prime Minister began his discussions with the leather and hides sector. He emphasized that, within the framework of the Special Investment and Financing Plan (2026-2028), the leather and hides sector is a key driver of the national economy and a lever for accelerating the National Transformation Agenda. The strategic focus on the leather and hides ecosystem aims to strengthen sovereignty, expand the industrial base, and improve the living conditions of the population. It allows for better coordination between sectoral policies, regional planning, and industrial strategy.

According to the Prime Minister, Senegal has significant potential for hide production, primarily from cattle, sheep, and goat farming. However, processing capacity is limited. As a result, over 70% of Senegalese hides are exported raw, leading to a significant loss of added value, compounded by the existence of an informal, parallel export market that operates without local processing. Despite a large livestock population and recognized artisanal expertise, the local processing rate of hides and skins is less than 5%, thus limiting the potential of this raw material.

The Prime Minister noted that the strategic development of this sector represents a major opportunity to strengthen national industry, improve the trade balance, stimulate local economies, and foster the emergence of high value-added industries, particularly in the leather goods, automotive interior trim, and furniture sectors. By 2034, this sector has the potential to create over 130,000 formal jobs and generate over 1,549 billion CFA francs in revenue. It can therefore become a major driver of economic inclusion by promoting the integration of young people and women, consolidating the formalization of businesses, and sustainably improving incomes in the regions. The Prime Minister emphasized that the potential of this sector will establish the Central and Western regions as the industrial heartland of Senegal's leather industry, destined to become the priority area for structuring the sector, modernizing production, and upgrading industrial processes.

The Prime Minister reiterated that the objective is to build, by 2050, an integrated territorial ecosystem around hides and leather, encompassing the entire value chain, from modernized production, including packaging, to support services, industrial processing into finished products, and local and international marketing. In this regard, modernization initiatives must enable the establishment of a genuine industrial and artisanal zone focused on hides, skins, and animal by-products, as well as the development of the tanning industry. To this end, the Prime Minister instructed the Minister of Finance and Budget, the Minister of Industry and Trade, the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Sovereignty, and the Minister of Local Authorities and Regional Planning to take all necessary steps to develop public-private partnerships to operationalize the guidelines he had established, particularly within the framework of the Special Economic Zones to be created in the relevant regional hubs. Consequently, the Prime Minister directed the relevant ministers to take all measures for the design and implementation of an integrated project for the artisanal and industrial development of the leather and hides sector, in line with the guidelines related to the territorialization of public policies and the National Investment Strategy, which promotes private investment.

Addressing the new agricultural policy, to be finalized no later than May 2026, he recalled the main guidelines relating in particular to financing, subsidies, land, production, industry, support and infrastructure, as well as partnerships.

Regarding prison overcrowding, the Prime Minister shared some information before asking the Minister of Justice to provide him with a detailed report on the matter.

Finally, the Prime Minister reported on his participation in the Conference of Heads of State and Government of the African Union, held in Addis Ababa on February 14 and 15, 2026, before informing the Council that he will be going with the entire Government on February 24 to the National Assembly for the quarterly session of current affairs questions.

UNDER THE HEADING OF COMMUNICATIONS FROM MINISTERS

The Minister of Land and Air Transport made a statement on road safety.

The Minister of Employment and Vocational and Technical Training gave a presentation on the theme: "For a national mobilization in favor of Employment and Vocational and Technical Training".

The Minister of Industry and Trade gave a presentation on the market situation and the marketing of peanuts.

The Secretary of State in charge of the Development of Small and Medium Enterprises and Small and Medium Industries gave a presentation on the National Strategy for the Promotion and Development of SMEs/SMIs.

UNDER LEGISLATIVE AND REGULATORY TEXTS

The Council examined and adopted:

the bill amending law no. 65-60 of 21 July 1965 establishing the Penal Code;

the draft decree establishing and setting the rules for the organization and operation of the Commission for the Control of Public Procurement and PPP Projects classified as defense secrets.

UNDER INDIVIDUAL MEASURES

The President of the Republic has taken the following decisions:

On behalf of the Presidency of the Republic

Mr. Tabasky DIOUF , Colonel (ret.), is appointed Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the High Authority of Airports of Senegal (HAAS), replacing Mr. Babacar Diagne.

On behalf of the Ministry of African Integration, Foreign Affairs and Senegalese Abroad

Mr. Salomon DIEDHIOU , holder of a master's degree in Audit and Management Control, is appointed Director of the National Anti-Mine Action Center in Senegal (CNAMS), replacing Mr. Papa Maguèye DIOP.

Under the authority of the Ministry of Finance and Budget

Mr. Assane NDIR, Principal Treasury Inspector, is appointed Administrator of the Special Fund for Support to the Energy Sector, replacing Mr. Théophile Edouard AMINE.

Mr. Mamané DJITTE , Magistrate, payroll number 636 288/G, is appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Special Fund for Support to the Energy Sector, replacing Mr. Meïssa DIAKHATE.

On behalf of the Ministry of National Education

Mr. Pape Abdou DIA , Civil Engineer and Infrastructure Engineer, is appointed Director of School Building Maintenance at the Ministry of National Education, a vacant position.

On behalf of the Ministry of Land and Air Transport

Mr. Abdoul Aziz MBODJI , Teacher-Researcher, is appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors of AIBD SA, replacing Mr. Pape Abdourahmane DABO, who has been called to other duties.

Under the authority of the Ministry of Urban Planning, Local Authorities and Regional Development

Mr. Pape Abdourahmane DABO , Public Works Engineer, is appointed Director General of the National Low-Rent Housing Company (SN HLM), replacing Mr. Bassirou KEBE.

Mr. El Hadji Mamadou GUEYE , Architect, is appointed Director of Architecture at the Ministry of Urban Planning, Territorial Communities and Territorial Development, replacing Mrs. Catherine Marie Thérèse FAYE, who has been granted her retirement pension rights.

Marie Rose Khady Fatou FAYE,

Secretary of State to the Prime Minister,

Head of Institutional Relations,

Government Spokesperson