Sénégal: DGPSN - No 5-Year Gap for Bourses Familiales, Registre National Unique Update

• A national workshop was held to discuss the reform of the Bourses Familiales program and the implementation of decree n°2023-847.
• The decree has led to the removal of 25,000 beneficiaries with disabilities in April 2026.
• The payment of bourses was suspended in Tivaouane due to an audit of the Registre national unique (RNU).
• The RNU is a critical component of the Bourses de Sécurité Familiale program, which has been in place since 2013 and currently covers 355,013 enrolled households.
• Updating the RNU is essential to ensure that the program effectively targets those in need.

Il est tout à fait normal, après 12 ans de mise en œuvre, de revoir les procédures de recertification

A national workshop was held in Saly from August 11 to 13, 2026, to discuss the reform of the Bourses Familiales program. The meeting was organized by the Délégation générale à la Protection sociale et à la Solidarité nationale (DGPSN) and aimed to address the implementation of a decree issued in 2023 (n°2023-847). This decree introduced an equity principle that limits the duration of stay in the program to five years. The workshop brought together stakeholders from the Comité de pilotage du Programme national de Bourses de Sécurité familiale, including Dr. Amadou Diaw, director of cabinet for the Minister of Family, Social Action and Solidarity.

The decree n°2023-847 has already led to the removal of 25,000 beneficiaries with disabilities in April 2026. This measure was criticized by the Fédération sénégalaise des associations de personnes handicapées (Fsaph). The payment of bourses - amounting to 35,000 CFA francs per trimester - had been temporarily suspended in Tivaouane due to an audit of the Registre national unique (RNU), the central tool for identifying vulnerable households; payments have since resumed. In the Thiès region, 6,572 people are affected by this suspension. The RNU is a critical component of the Bourses de Sécurité Familiale program, which has been in place since 2013 and currently covers 355,013 enrolled households.

The update of the Registre national unique (RNU) is essential to ensure that the Bourses de Sécurité Familiale program effectively targets those in need. The current procedures for recertification have been in place for 12 years, and it is time to review them. Dr. Diaw emphasized the importance of updating the RNU to address the real needs of beneficiaries, thereby ensuring a tangible impact from the program.

Lawyers should monitor the impact of the updated Registre National Unique on beneficiary targeting and potential compliance exposures for organizations participating in the Bourses de Sécurité Familiale program.

Source: Original reporting via EMedia