Senegal's Foreign Minister Amadou Ba reacts during a joint news conference with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at the Presidential Palace in Dakar, Senegal February 16, 2020. /REUTERS
Senegalese President Macky Sall reinstated the post of prime minister on Saturday, appointing a former economy minister to the job two months after a tense legislative election in which Sall's ruling coalition lost its comfortable majority.
Amadou Ba, a 61-year-old taxation specialist who has also served as foreign minister, was named as the West African country's prime minister, a statement from the presidency said.
Ba's appointment re-establishes the position of prime minister in the West African country following its abolition in April 2019.
"The major priorities that the president has outlined include improving household purchasing power, taming inflation, security, housing, vocational training, employment and entrepreneurship," Ba said on national television after a meeting with Sall on Saturday.
The full government is expected to be appointed later on Saturday.
Earlier this week, Senegal's security forces were called to secure a voting process in parliament and hold back rowdy opposition members of parliament who tried to disrupt the election of a new president of the national assembly. The assembly was convening for the first time since July's election.
(With input from Reuters)