Madar (Dakar) - Senegal's trade balance showed a deficit of 29.5 billion CFA francs in September 2026, compared with a surplus of 160 billion in August, according to the monthly foreign trade statistics bulletin published on Thursday, 5 November 2026 by the National Agency for Statistics and Demography (ANSD).
According to the bulletin, Senegal's exports totalled 566 billion CFA francs in September, down 20.4% from 711.1 billion the previous month. The ANSD attributed the fall to lower sales of crude oil, at 123.3 billion against 206.7 billion in August, liquefied natural gas, at 17.3 billion against 28.4 billion, and phosphates, at 0.2 billion against 6.7 billion.
The decline was limited, the same source said, by higher exports of non-monetary gold, at 127.5 billion against 109.8 billion, canned fish, at 11 billion against 1.9 billion, and hydraulic cement, at 12.3 billion against 6.8 billion. Compared with September 2025, exports were up 34.5%, and cumulative exports to the end of September 2026 reached 5,103.5 billion CFA francs, against 4,097.6 billion a year earlier, an increase of 24.6%.
Imports rose 8.1% to 595.6 billion CFA francs in September from 551.1 billion in August, according to the ANSD, driven by crude oil purchases worth 53 billion after almost none the previous month, as well as higher imports of other machinery and appliances, at 48.5 billion against 37.3 billion, and animal and vegetable oils and fats, at 12.4 billion against 6.6 billion. By contrast, purchases of refined petroleum products fell to 138.3 billion from 170.5 billion, and base metals to 20.6 billion from 38.9 billion.
Compared with September 2025, imports were up 18.5%, while cumulative imports to the end of September 2026 stood at 5,047.4 billion CFA francs, against 5,224.5 billion in the same period of 2025, a decline of 3.4%, the bulletin said.
The ANSD attributed the deterioration in September to a wider deficit with Nigeria, at 57.9 billion CFA francs against 12.4 billion the previous month, Belgium, at 24.4 billion against 9.7 billion, and Argentina, at 19.6 billion against 4.7 billion. This was partly offset by an improved balance with Panama, which moved to a 52.4 billion surplus from a 3.8 billion deficit, with Spain, which returned to balance after a 17 billion deficit, and with Russia, where the deficit narrowed to 7 billion from 25.1 billion.
Despite the September deficit, Senegal's cumulative trade balance to the end of September 2026 showed a surplus of 56 billion CFA francs, compared with a deficit of 1,127 billion in the same period of 2025, according to the ANSD.
