Senegal's government ministers have been banned from all non-essential travel abroad following a rise in oil prices due to the conflict in Iran, the prime minister announced.
Speaking at a youth rally on Friday, Ousmane Sonko said the current cost of a barrel of oil was approaching double what was budgeted for. Sonko has postponed his trips to Niger, Spain, and France as part of the restrictions. He said the mining minister would announce further measures to curb government spending next week.
Senegal's move is the latest response from the continent to rising oil prices, which have seen countries cut fuel taxes and ration electricity, the BBC reports.
In his speech to the youth, the prime minister said he did not want to "frighten" his audience or put pressure on them. Instead, he wanted to give them a "sense of this world, which is a difficult world," but added that although things were tough, Senegalese people were resilient. Despite a new oil and gas industry, Senegal relies heavily on fuel imports.
Last year, the International Monetary Fund described the economy as "strong" with a growth rate of nearly 8% and low inflation. But its public debt, which amounts to more than 130% of the total annual size of the economy, is high. Sonko, appointed prime minister two years ago, blamed the previous government for burdening his administration with the debt, which he said had made the current situation of coping with oil prices even more difficult.
Energy rationing and fuel thinning, as African countries cope with the effects of the war in Iran. Elsewhere on the continent, this week the South African government responded to rising oil prices by cutting the tax it imposes on gasoline, in an effort to limit the increase in fuel costs at the pump.
Fuel shortages in Ethiopia have forced some government institutions to send employees on annual leave. South Sudan has begun rationing electricity in its capital, Juba, while Zimbabwe is increasing the ethanol content in gasoline. The effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf as a result of the US-Israel war against Iran has also led to a restriction of fertilizer supplies for the rest of the world. About 30% of this essential agricultural input passes through the Gulf.
The humanitarian organization International Rescue Committee warned on Wednesday that this was a "time bomb for food security," especially for East Africa which relies on fertilizer imports from the Middle East.