Senegal
Loi n°2025-15 relative à l'Accès à l'Information
Loi n°2025-15 relative à l'Accès à l'Information (Law No. 2025-15 on Access to Information)
Transparency Score: 47/100
RTI Rating: 71 (source)
Response Timeline
Initial response required within 8 working days of receipt. May be extended to a maximum of 15 working days total from receipt (Articles 18-19). Urgent requests receive expedited response within a timeline allowing the requester to fulfill the service or commitment necessitating the request (Article 21).
How to Submit a Request
Accepted Methods
Requests must be in writing and include identity/position of requester, date of request, and specific description of requested information. Law does not explicitly specify whether electronic submission is permitted. Article 13: Senegalese citizens OR legal residents OR entities regularly established in Senegal may request.
Required Elements
- Identity and position/status (qualité) of requester
- Date of request
- Specific description of requested information
Fees
Access is free under Article 22. Reproduction and transmission costs may apply but cannot exceed actual expenses. No central fee-setting authority exists; individual bodies establish their own fee structures within cost limitation.
Exemptions
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National Defense SecretInformation classified as national defense secrets
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Investigation SecretInformation protected under investigation secrecy
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Judicial Deliberation SecretSecrecy of judicial deliberations
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Judicial Instruction SecretSecrecy of judicial instruction proceedings
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Attorney-Client PrivilegeLawyer-client confidential communications
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Medical SecretMedical confidentiality and patient information
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Industrial and Commercial SecretsProprietary business information and trade secrets
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Government Deliberation SecretSecrecy of executive deliberations
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Other Legal SecretsAny other secrets protected by existing laws (catch-all clause)
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Personal Data ProtectionPersonal data including value judgments about named individuals and behavioral information that could cause prejudice
Law lists 9 protected secret categories in Article 2, plus personal data restrictions in Article 3. Critical weaknesses: no harm test required for disclosure refusal, no public interest override provision, overbroad exceptions for privacy and executive deliberations, and broad catch-all clause. RTI Rating scored 8/30 for exceptions section due to these deficiencies.
Appeal Process
CONAI (Commission nationale d'Accès à l'Information)
National Independent Administrative Authority. Mandatory before judicial appeal. Free of charge. Detailed procedures to be established by decree.
Judicial appeal
Available as second tier after CONAI review. CONAI review is required before filing judicial appeals.
Appeals handled by independent CONAI authority (free), with judicial review available as second tier. Significant weaknesses: no internal review procedures, appeal timelines not yet established (awaiting implementing decree), unclear binding authority of CONAI decisions, no power to review classified documents. RTI Rating scored appeals 11/30 points.