Senegal: A Promising Bill for Whistleblowers
Date Published: 12 August 2025
Below is WIN membership organisation PPLAAF's press release, "Senegal: A Promising Bill for Whistleblowers", published 08/08/25, discussing the upcoming whistleblower protection legislation in Senegal and PPLAAF's recommendations for it.
Proposed Protection Mechanisms Should Be Strengthened
(Dakar, 8 August 2025) – The bill proposed to the National Assembly by the Senegalese government on the status and protection of whistleblowers demonstrates a political will to safeguard these guardians of democracy, but specific key points need strengthening, the Platform to Protect Whistleblowers in Africa (PPLAAF) said today. This initiative could mean Senegal will be the first French-speaking sub-Saharan African country to establish a robust and ambitious legal framework to ensure the safety and rights of individuals who expose matters of public interest.
“This is a historic moment for Senegalese democracy and for the entire continent,” said Jimmy Kande, PPLAAF’s West Africa Director. “This is why the law being prepared must be exemplary, equal to the stakes and risks whistleblowers take to advance truth and protect the public interest.”
The bill is part of a broader legislative framework aimed at enhancing transparency in public management and combating corruption. In addition to whistleblower protection, Senegalese parliamentarians will consider three other bills concerning the establishment of the National Anti-Corruption Office, access to information, and asset declaration. The vote in the National Assembly should take place on 18 August 2025.
By exposing serious, often ignored, or concealed issues, whistleblowers help protect society from abuses, corruption, or threats to health, the environment, and fundamental rights. They can, specifically, help trigger investigations into corruption, recover misappropriated public assets, or protect citizens’ health and natural resources. In a country like Senegal, where citizens’ aspirations for transparency are strong, providing robust protections for these individuals is imperative.
While the initiative is commendable, certain aspects of the bill still need discussion and strengthening to ensure its effectiveness and compliance with international standards, such as the Tshwane Principles, the United Nations Convention Against Corruption, or the European Directive 2019/1937, as well as best practices developed by specialised organisations like PPLAAF, which has direct and practical experience with whistleblowing in Africa.
PPLAAF has published a critical analysis of the bill, highlighting key areas for improvement, including:
- Broadening the Scope of Protection: The bill primarily focuses on corruption and economic offenses. It is essential also to cover whistleblowing related to public health, the environment, human rights, or any other area of public interest.
- Clarifying the Notion of “Good Faith”: While ensuring whistleblower status is not misused is essential, protection should not depend on a subjective analysis of the whistleblower’s intentions but rather on whether they had reasonable grounds to believe in the truth of the reported facts. This ensures a fairer, more consistent process that benefits the public interest.
- Distinguishing Whistleblowers from Nominees: Equating these two categories in the same law risks creating confusion. Nominees, often involved in illicit activities, should be addressed in separate legislation focused on anti-corruption and asset recovery.
- Reporting Channels: It is crucial to secure reporting procedures by providing for internal and external mechanisms and allowing public disclosure when standard channels fail or when the reported danger is serious or imminent.
- Protection Against Retaliation: Stronger safeguards are needed, including extending protection to whistleblowers’ relatives and facilitators (journalists, NGOs) and establishing clear sanctions against those who retaliate.
- Independence and Capacity of Competent Authorities: The bill should clarify which authority receives and processes reports, with guarantees of independence, confidentiality, and feedback to the whistleblower.
- Creation of a Special Fund: While the idea of a support and reward fund is relevant, its relationship with existing bodies (such as the National Office for the Recovery of Criminal Assets (ONRAC)) and its allocation criteria need better definition to avoid counterproductive effects.
PPLAAF calls on Senegalese parliamentarians to engage in constructive and open debate on these points to adopt a protective, fair, and ambitious law that meets citizens’ expectations and is effective in its implementation.
PPLAAF remains committed to supporting Senegalese authorities and civil society actors in this essential legislative process to defend the public interest.
About PPLAAF
The Platform to Protect Whistleblowers in Africa (PPLAAF) is a non-governmental organisation established in 2017 to protect whistleblowers, advocate on their behalf, and undertake strategic legal actions when their revelations concern the public interest of African citizens.
Image credits: PPLAAF