Senegal has become the first French-speaking sub-Saharan country to adopt such a law, according to the Platform for the Protection of Whistleblowers in Africa (PPLAAF).
The text, adopted on Tuesday by members of parliament, aims to protect individuals who, in the course of their professional activity, report or disclose information relating to a crime, financial offence or harm to the public interest.
Whistleblowers can report their information anonymously if they wish, through internal channels within government departments or externally to the relevant authorities, the parliamentary report states.
Those who report information that leads to the recovery of illicit funds or assets will receive a reward of 10 percent of the amount recovered, or an amount determined by the relevant authorities.
Jimmy Kande, PPLAAF's West Africa director, called it "a historic moment for Senegalese democracy and for the entire continent" – although he said that he regretted the bill's limited scope.
"Whistleblowers seem to be limited to matters of corruption and economic crimes, whereas the scope would usually be much broader, covering environmental, health or human rights issues," he told RFI.
PPLAAF has published a critical analysis of the bill, highlighting key areas for improvement – including broadening the scope of protection, clarifying the notion of “Good Faith”, distinguishing whistleblowers from nominees, protection against retaliation and the creation of a special fund for ...
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