Senegal has banned all non-essential foreign travel for government ministers as the West African nation moves to cut public spending in response to a sharp rise in global oil prices driven by the conflict in Iran, Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko announced on April 4, 2026.
Sonko said his office was taking steps to limit public expenditure, pointing out that the country’s initial budget forecasts were based on an oil price of $62 per barrel, which has now almost doubled as a result of the Iran war. “I have taken a number of drastic measures to restrict everything related to government spending, including the cancellation of all nonessential missions abroad,” Le Soleil quoted Sonko as saying.
“No minister in my government will leave the country except for an essential mission,” Sonko said.
Sonko has also postponed his own planned trips to Niger, Spain and France as part of the restrictions, and said the minister of mines would announce further spending curbs in the coming week.
Despite a fledgling oil and gas industry, Senegal relies heavily on importing fuel. The International Monetary Fund last year described the economy as robust, with a growth rate of almost 8% and low inflation, but public debt stands at more than 130% of GDP. Senegal has already had to make around $480mn in Eurobond payments this year, with more than $26bn in obligations due between 2026 and 2028.
Sonko’s government has also closed 19 state agencies, cut around 1,000 jobs, and launched reviews of mining and gas contracts as it searches for savings.
Senegal’s move is part of a broader pattern across Africa. South Africa has temporarily reduced its fuel levy, while South Sudan is rationing electricity due to fuel shortages.
Sonko told the gathered youth that he did not want to “frighten” them or apply unnecessary pressure, but sought to provide a “sense of this world, which is a difficult world,” adding that the Senegalese people remained resilient