Senegal’s Senelec, the national electricity company and the Association of Mayors of Senegal (AMS), are looking for a way out of the crisis of cross-debt linking them. Currently the company is having a hard time collecting bills due from local authorities, while at the same time meeting the demands of these local authorities to pay company taxes and dues.
"For us mayors, there is no question of staying in a situation where local authorities refuse to pay electricity bills. In the same way, I would fiercely defend the payment of royalties due to local authorities,” said Aliou Sall, president of the AMS.
"Public lighting is the responsibility of town halls, but it also contributes to public safety, which is a responsibility of the state. It is therefore important to find lasting solutions to this thorny problem of paying electricity bills," said Papa Mademba Biteye, Senelec’s managing director.