The Minister of Economy, Planning and Cooperation, Amadou Hott, no longer wants to hear that people say that our economy is extroverted. According to him, this debate is useless because the figures available to the Ansd indicate the opposite. He maintains that only 26% of large companies are controlled by the national private sector. Amadou Hott spoke yesterday, Monday, December 7, during the vote of the budget of his department.

In 2018, of all the large companies monitored by the Ansd, i.e. companies whose turnover is greater than 1 billion CFA francs, only 26% are controlled by the international private sector. These details are from the Minister of Economy, Planning and Cooperation Amadou Hott. He was responding to certain deputies who castigated the stranglehold of foreign companies on the national economy yesterday, Monday, December 7, during the vote on the budget of his ministry.

Better, he continues, 74% of these companies are controlled by the national private sector, either directly through businessmen or through the stock market. “Some of these companies including Sonatel, Total and Boa are listed on the stock exchange and Senegalese are shareholders in these companies. They generated more than 1368 billion in added value. Of these 1268 billion, 525 billion was used to pay wages and social security contributions for workers in this country,” he revealed.

At the same time, he informs, these companies paid 218 billion in taxes on factors of production. “In 2018, if we take all the foreign companies, the total dividend paid is 209 billion. Supposing that out of these 209 billion, approximately 100 billion are received by the shareholders of these 26% who control 59% of the added value, this means that out of an added value of 1368 billion, only 100 billion went out. of the country in dividends. It's not even 10%,” he told MP Mamadou Diop Decroix, who said that 70 to 90% of added value goes abroad.

To support the private sector, the Minister of Economy, Planning and Cooperation Amadou Hott indicates that two financing mechanisms will be put in place. A financing mechanism of 300 billion CFA francs for SMEs and large companies with the State which gives guarantees to banks, in the form of deposits with financing from partners. For the informal sector and VSEs, he informs that a line of financing of 100 billion CFA francs is planned, obtained by leverage through the Fongip and the Der for which the State contributes around 50 billion CFA francs, which will be proposed to these different economic actors with training, technical assistance and gradual formalization.

Regarding the Zlecaf, the minister announced that it will be operational from January 2021. Indeed, according to him, the delay is justified by the Covid-19 pandemic and the fact that we are in the first phase on the liberalization of goods and services. The budget of the Ministry of Economy, Planning and Cooperation amounts to 92327581584 FCFA in commitment authorization. The payment credits are fixed at 31882581584 F Cfa.