Senegal Prime Minister Ousmane Lo has called for dialogue to resolve a dispute over government spending just days before the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games begin.
The disagreement threatens to overshadow Senegal’s plans to use the event to boost development and raise its international profile. The country is preparing to welcome young athletes from around the world for a historic sporting occasion.
Members of the ruling Pastef party refused to support a supplementary budget bill at the National Assembly’s Finance and Budgetary Control Committee last Friday. The dispute centres on proposed spending cuts and loans worth millions of euros.
The lawmakers argue that ordinary Senegalese people will bear the burden of the cuts. They have also demanded clearer information about how the government plans to use the borrowed funds. The National Assembly is due to revisit the budget on Tuesday.
Lo has urged his colleagues to settle the disagreement through talks rather than allow it to disrupt preparations for the Games.
“We are not dealing with adversaries,” Lo told news outlet RFI. “We are talking about the same party. I remain convinced that if everyone is open to dialogue, we will find a solution and ensure that this supplementary budget is finally passed.”
The timing has raised concerns as Senegal prepares to welcome thousands of young athletes for an event the International Olympic Committee has described as a landmark for Africa.
“When you are welcoming the world, you must present an image of unity,” said Lo. “We must not allow this celebration for young people to be overshadowed because the National Assembly either cannot understand or does not want to understand what we have put on the table.”
Senegal Targets Lasting Benefits Beyond Dakar 2026
The fourth Summer Youth Olympic Games will run from 31 October to 13 November. The event is expected to bring together about 2,500 international competitors aged under 17 and 136 Senegalese athletes.
The 25 sport programme includes athletics, beach wrestling, rugby sevens and breaking. Organisers will stage competitions at eight venues across Dakar, Diamniadio and Saly, a coastal town about 80 kilometres from the capital.
However, Senegal’s ambitions go beyond hosting a successful sporting event. President Bassirou Faye has launched the ‘DUNDAL YOG’ programme to bring the Games into schools and communities, including areas where young people may not attend competitions in person.
The initiative plans to distribute school materials and tickets, encourage participation in sport and link the event with education, culture and environmental awareness. The government hopes these efforts will help the first Olympic sporting event held in Africa deliver lasting benefits rather than become a two week spectacle.
Organisers are also using cultural projects to build public interest. The ‘YEESAL’ initiative features murals and other creative work that celebrates Senegalese identity and sporting heritage. Meanwhile, plans for the Games include engaging hundreds of thousands of young people through schools and community activities.
Lo said the Olympic movement’s values should guide the event. “Peace, faster, higher, stronger, these are the ideals we want to offer our young people,” added the 60 year old economist, who took over from Ousmane Sonko in May.
Faye has also stressed the importance of showing Senegal and Africa to the world. When the Youth Olympic Games flame arrived in Dakar on 12 September, he said, “I want those who attend the Games to take away from the experience that Africa’s youth is brimming with energy, that they are standing tall and determined, and that they are proud.”
With the opening ceremony approaching, Senegal faces two challenges: delivering a successful Youth Olympic Games and resolving its budget dispute. The government hopes political unity and community involvement will help turn the event into a lasting opportunity for the country’s young people.
