National Order of the Lion of Senegal

The National Order of the Lion (French: Ordre national du Lion du Sénégal) is the highest order of Senegal.

The order was instituted by Law 60-36 of 22 October 1960 and was awarded to emperor Haile Selassie I as The Grand Cross of The National Order of the Lion of Judah, later modified by Law 62-416 of 11 July 1962, and by Law 64-06 of 24 January 1964. It is awarded for distinguished contributions, both civil and military. The order is one of two national orders of Senegal, the other one being the Order of Merit. Because the National Order of the Lion is awarded only sparingly to keep it in high esteem, the other order was established to recognize contributions that would otherwise be neglected.

The President of Senegal is the Grand Master of the order and chairs the Council of the Order composed of ten people. The Grand Chancellery of the order is under the Protocol Division of the Cabinet of Senegal. The Grand Chancellor is counter admiral Ousmane Ibrahima Sall.