During a recent public appearance, Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko surprised by announcing his intention to propose a law banning civil society organizations from receiving foreign funding. According to him, some structures would no longer be content with defending citizens but would interfere in the political field, blurring the line between advocacy and activism. This announcement has reignited a debate as old as independence: who really funds civil society in Senegal?
These organizations intervene in strategic sectors – education, health, human rights, economy, democracy – essential areas for national sovereignty. However, while political parties are strictly prohibited from foreign funding, the law remains silent on CSOs. As a result, the majority of them survive almost exclusively thanks to funds from abroad. But who are these donors and for what purpose do they fund Senegalese civil society? SeneNews investigated.
Who funds the main civil society organizations?
Data cross-referenced by SeneNews from a study by IPAR (2024) shows a strong dependence on international donors: Forum Civil (Transparency International branch): European Union, USAID, British Embassy. Annual budget: ≈ 250 million CFA francs; Africa Jom Center: JICA, GIZ, Canadian Fund for Local Initiatives (FCIL). Budget: 90 to 120 million CFA francs/year; Forum du Justiciable: European Union, Ford Foundation, National Human Rights Commission. Budget: ≈ 70 million CFA francs/year; Forum Civil (women’s collective): UN Women, AFD, Gates Foundation. Budget: 45 to 60 million CFA francs/year.
Recognized citizen movement, “Y’en a marre” mobilized nearly 500 million CFA francs between 2022 and 2025, exclusively from abroad. Its main donors: European Union (200 million), Canadian Embassy (127 million), USAID (75 million), OSIWA (51 million), GIZ (45 million), and Friedrich Neumann Foundation (30 million). According to reports consulted by SeneNews, it is one of the few CSOs to publish its annual accounts. It receives no national public funding and even rejected a Chinese offer in 2023 deemed contrary to its independence.
The figures speak for themselves: 85% of CSO funding comes from foreign donors, compared to less than 5% from local resources. Without these funds, many civil society organizations would disappear. But with them, their independence and role in the political debate are called into question. The law proposed by Sonko could constitute a historic turning point: either it dries up a part of civil society, or it pushes CSOs to invent new models of local and sustainable financing. Between sovereignty and financial survival, Senegal is faced with a real dilemma.
