ARTICLE 19 Senegal and West Africa, together with parliamentary monitoring organisations (PMOs), are today calling for greater transparency, public participation and public accountability from Senegal’s parliament to make the institution a model of open governance. Senegal is ranked 24th out of 33 countries analysed in the African Open Parliament Index (AOPI).
‘Senegal’s current ranking in the Open Parliament Index for Africa is at variance with our reputation as a resilient democracy and the ambition for public transparency and good governance set out in Vision Senegal 2050 and our Partnership for Governance objectives. The Senegalese parliament must draw on the new law on access to information, which makes the disclosure of information held by public bodies mandatory, and on the public transparency agenda to ensure open and inclusive governance of the institution, thereby strengthening democracy and public trust,’, said Abdoulaye Ndiaye, Senior Program Officer, Access to Information and Transparency at ARTICLE 19 Senegal and West Africa.
The concept of an Open Parliament is now recognised as an international best practice for strengthening democracy, public trust, and the effectiveness of parliamentary action. An Open Parliament is defined as an institution that guarantees access to information, encourages citizens’ participation in legislative processes, and reports transparently on its activities and those of its members.
Senegal in the 2025 African Open Parliament Index: results below the continental average
The Open Parliament (OP) vision is championed by the African Network of Parliamentary Monitoring Organizations (APMON). In 2022, APMON published its first report on the Open Parliament Index (OPI) in Africa. The report on the second edition of the Open Parliament Index in Africa (OPI) assesses 33 African parliaments across three key dimensions: transparency, citizen participation, and public accountability. Based on 48 indicators, the OPI assesses the extent to which African parliaments are genuinely open, accessible, and accountable to citizens.
According to the report on the second edition of the Open Parliament Index in Africa, Senegal’s parliament ranks 24th out of 33 parliaments analysed, with an overall score of 43.75 percent, below the continental average of 54.07 percent. Based on the three core assessment criteria, Senegal scored: 29 out of 64 for transparency; 36 out of 64 for citizen participation; and 19 out of 64 for public accountability. South Africa, Ghana, and Kenya top the 2025 Open Parliament Index.
The report also highlights that, unlike several West African countries that have made significant progress, Senegal’s results have stagnated to some extent, demonstrating the need to accelerate reforms aimed at strengthening parliamentary openness.
Efforts towards greater parliamentary transparency have been observed, but remain insufficient
Over the past two years, consistent efforts have been noted but remain insufficient: the restoration of the National Assembly’s website, the creation of a parliamentary channel, the publication of voting results, the establishment of the Public Policy Evaluation Commission (Article 32 of the Act on the Rules of Procedure of the National Assembly), and the live broadcasting of public sittings.
More progress is expected according to the index
On the transparency criterion (29/64), Senegal struggles to guarantee broad and systematic access to parliamentary information. Whilst a website exists, the data is often incomplete, rarely updated, and historical archives have not been digitised. The lack of clear policies on proactive dissemination and accessible formats severely limits transparency.
Regarding the criterion of citizen participation (36/64), despite a few one-off initiatives on civic education and consultation, the Senegalese parliament lacks regular and inclusive mechanisms enabling citizens, young people, women, and people with disabilities to have a real influence on legislative work. Opportunities for dialogue with civil society remain limited.
On public accountability (19/64), Senegal has one of the lowest scores. Attendance records for members of parliament (MPs) in plenary sessions and committees are not kept, or if they are, they are not published. Declarations of assets, parliamentary expenses, and additional income of elected representatives are not accessible to the public.
The new Access to Information Act: an opportunity for Open Parliament in Senegal
The recent adoption of the Access to Information Act in Senegal, the commitments made under the Open Government Partnership, and the growing momentum for citizen participation offer a unique opportunity to make the Senegalese parliament a key player in open governance in Africa.
To improve its ranking and strengthen public trust, several actions appear to be priorities: the proactive publication of parliamentary information in open formats, the systematic dissemination of draft legislation prior to its consideration, the strengthening of public consultations, the systematic publication of MPs’ roll-call votes, greater budgetary transparency within parliament, the development of interactive digital platforms to foster dialogue with citizens; and the adoption of a national open parliament strategy developed in collaboration with civil society.
The law on access to information now guarantees everyone in Senegal the right to access information held by public institutions and private bodies carrying out public service functions. ARTICLE 19, which campaigned for the adoption of this law, has always emphasised that it is an important tool for promoting transparency, accountability, and citizen participation. The National Assembly must take the lead in implementing the law it has passed. This will contribute significantly to improving its open governance.
Call to action for all stakeholders
Building an open parliament is not solely the responsibility of members of the parliament. It requires close collaboration between the National Assembly, civil society organisations, the media, citizens, and technical and financial partners.
Today, an open parliament is an essential lever for consolidating Senegalese democracy, strengthening public accountability, and bringing institutions closer to citizens in a sustainable manner. All stakeholders must work together to promote this culture. ARTICLE 19 and the civil society organisations remain committed to collaborating with the National Assembly to meet this challenge through capacity-building, parliamentary monitoring, collaborative dialogue, networking, and innovation in the implementation of the initiative.
Background
The Open Parliament Initiative forms an essential part of the Open Government Partnership. It aims to modernise legislative institutions by promoting transparency and public participation in their operations and decision-making processes. Emerging in the wake of the Open Government movement, this initiative became institutionalised at an international level from 2011 onwards. It helps to ensure access to legislative information, create mechanisms for public participation, and establish an open and trusting relationship with citizens. In Senegal, civil society organisations (CSOs) and media organisations working towards open government to collaborate on parliamentary monitoring and the promotion of the Open Parliament Initiative, and are part of the African Network of Parliamentary Monitoring Organisations (APMON). The biannual African Open Parliament Index is developed with the following aims: (1) To strengthen parliamentary institutions towards the advancement of parliamentary openness across national, subnational, and regional parliaments; (2) To identify, compare, and exchange knowledge and best practices among parliaments, and among CSOs that work with parliaments; and (3) To foster collaboration between civil society and parliaments towards achieving the principles of open parliament, providing a platform for amplifying open parliament initiatives.
Contact us for further information
- Abdoulaye Ndiaye, Senior Programme Officer – ATI and Transparency Email : abdoulaye.ndiaye@article19.org / +221775531387
- Maateuw Mbaye, Programme Officer for Civic Space, Protection and Communication Email : maateuw.mbaye@article19.org / +221 785958337 E: senegal.westafrica@article19.org T: (221) 33 869 03 22