Gold and gas prices are falling, while oil prices are rising: Senegalese exports are in a turbulent period.

The trend is not improving for Senegalese exports. In April, they fell by 165.7 billion CFA francs to 547.7 billion CFA francs. In May, they plummeted further to 502.8 billion CFA francs.

The reasons for such a decline? The National Agency for Statistics and Demography (ANSD) mainly cites the drop in foreign sales of gold, which fell to 59.6 billion FCFA in May, compared to 144.3 billion FCFA in April.

Cigarette exports also declined to 2 billion CFA francs, compared to 9.9 billion CFA francs in April. Sales of Senegalese gas also fell by 6 billion CFA francs (15.1 billion CFA francs in May versus 21.1 billion CFA francs in April).

Meanwhile, crude oil exports increased from 138.5 billion FCFA in April to 208.8 billion FCFA in May. Phosphoric acid sales also rose by 12.6 billion FCFA.

Compared to May 2025, exports increased by 7.1%. Their cumulative value at the end of May 2026 stood at 2629.6 billion FCFA compared to 2325.7 billion FCFA for the same period in 2025, representing an increase of 13.1%.

During the month of May, crude oil (208.8 billion FCFA), gold (59.6 billion FCFA), refined petroleum products (50.9 billion FCFA), phosphoric acid (28.6 billion FCFA), fresh sea fish (22.0 billion FCFA) and liquefied natural gas (15.1 billion FCFA) were the main products exported.

Imports totaled 516.1 billion FCFA in May, compared to 546.1 billion FCFA in April, representing a decrease of 5.5%. Compared to May 2025, imports have contracted by 7.4%.

Their cumulative total at the end of May 2026 stands at 2629.9 billion FCFA compared to 3,023.8 billion FCFA for the same period in 2025. This represents a decrease of 13.0%.

At the end of May, the trade balance stood at -13.3 billion FCFA, compared to +1.5 billion FCFA in April. The cumulative balance at the end of May 2026 is projected to be -0.3 billion FCFA, compared to -698.2 billion FCFA for the same period in 2025.