Senegal’s extractive sector contributes significantly to the country’s economy. In 2023, it generated 9.4% of government revenues and accounted for 32% of total exports. Senegal leads in phosphate production, mining 2.8 million tonnes in 2023. The country also extracts modest amounts of gold and construction materials, while its oil and gas industry is growing.
Currently, the country’s extractive sector is undergoing significant changes. Several key developments are redefining its role: first gas production at the Greater Tortue Ahmeyim (GTA) liquefied natural gas project on 31st December 2024, first oil production at the Sangomar field in April 2024, and ongoing reviews of mining, oil and gas contracts. The GTA project is a key partnership between Senegal, Mauritania, BP and Kosmos Energy. It is expected to produce 2.5 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas annually for export, while delivering 70 million cubic feet of natural gas daily for domestic use in Senegal and Mauritania.
Projected natural gas production and the current President’s anti-corruption drive have prompted Senegal to continue to use the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) to push through vital reforms. These reforms include enforcing local content laws to ensure the country’s natural resources benefit its citizens and making beneficial ownership data publicly accessible with support from the Opening Extractives programme.
Analysis of Senegal's EITI reporting reveals several initiatives to improve transparency, economic inclusion and gender equality in its extractive sector:
Addressing gender inequality: The Women in Mining (WIM) Senegal network has developed the WIM Senegal Index to assess gender integration in the extractive sector across five dimensions (governance, formal employment, entrepreneurship, socio-economic impact and artisanal mining). Despite established frameworks to improve gender data availability and stakeholder engagement, the Index revealed a score of 44/100, identifying persistent income gaps and limited access for women to high-paying roles and decision-making positions.
Promoting economic inclusion: The 2022 EITI Report demonstrates the effectiveness of Senegal's local content law. Local suppliers now provide 30% of mining companies' procurement, up from 24% in 2021, according to measurements using the Mining Local Procurement Reporting Mechanism (LPRM).
Enhancing data accessibility: Senegal prioritises accessibility through multiple digital innovations:
Economic contribution of the extractive industries
9.4%
to government revenues
31.89%
to exports
4.72%
to GDP
0.16%
to employment
Extractive sector data
Production and exports
Revenue collection
Revenue distribution
Top paying companies
Extractive sector management
Tax and legal framework
Senegal’s mining sector follows the 2016 Mining Code. This code aligns with EITI principles by mandating mining companies to report their payments to the State (Article 95, p.49-50). The Code also explains the types of mining titles and the conditions for acquiring them.
In 2022, Senegal introduced a law to promote local content in the mining sector. This law outlines obligations for local company participation, training and skills development and purchase of local goods and services.
After discovering oil and gas, Senegal updated its legal framework with the 2019 Petroleum Code and the 2020 Gas Code. The government also passed Law n°2022-09 in April 2022 to manage and distribute oil and gas revenues.
EITI Senegal publishes the relevant laws on its website.
Licenses and contracts
The Ministry of Energy, Petroleum and Mines manages the granting, renewal and revocation of exploration and exploitation licenses. These licenses are issued on a first-come, first-served basis, with the Ministry of Mines and Geology’s (now the Ministry of Energy Petroleum and Mines) Procedures Manual (2021) and the Directorate General of Mining webpage outlining mining licence provisions.
Oil licences are awarded through either bidding or direct consultation with the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy and the state-owned oil company PETROSEN.
Information on licences that have been applied for, are valid, or have been cancelled.
Monitoring of land encroachments.
Information on the duration of titles (including renewals and expirations).
A record of changes to mining titles.
The Directorate General of Hydrocarbons manages the oil cadastre.
Law n° 2012-22 on transparency and public financial management requires the publication of mining contracts. The mining and petroleum codes also mandate the publication of contracts in the government’s official journal. As a result, the government has published mining and oil agreements in line with these regulations. EITI Senegal also publishes mining and oil and gas contracts (as well as resourcecontracts.org).
Beneficial ownership
Senegal regulates the disclosure of beneficial owners under Decree 2020-791. The commercial register (RCCM) records beneficial ownership information, which is available to relevant authorities, courts, and individuals with a legitimate interest, upon request.
The decree defines a beneficial owner as any individual holding 2% or more of a company’s shares, aligning with the European Union’s Anti-Money Laundering Directive. EITI Senegal published a study (2017) recommending legal reforms to improve transparency around beneficial ownership.
A revision of Decree 2020-791, submitted to the Senegalese Ministry of Justice, aims to better distinguish between public and restricted-access data. Under the proposed rules:
Public data: Certain beneficial ownership details will be publicly accessible.
Protected data: Sensitive information will only be accessible to authorised government agencies.
As the decree has not yet been adopted, it remains unclear who will access sensitive information and how data will be classified.
In 2022, Senegal joined the Opening Extractives programme, a global initiative to improve the availability and use of beneficial ownership data. The 2022 EITI Report included a link to a beneficial ownership extract shared with Senegal EITI. An ongoing joint study between the EITI International Secretariat and Senegal EITI is analysing existing beneficial ownership data. The latest registry extract shared with EITI Senegal includes information from 262 companies, while the combined mining and oil and gas licence registries list 363 companies. However, only 28% of companies in these sectors have disclosed their beneficial owners, leaving 261 companies without such disclosures. This highlights significant gaps in reporting.
The Directorate of Treasury and Public Accounts (DGCPT – a department of the Ministry of Finance and Budget) manages almost all extractive industry revenues in Senegal. However, regional and municipal governments oversee small direct subnational revenues from the mining sector.
The 2016 Mining Code provides for the allocation of 20% of mining fees and royalties to a support and equalisation fund for local communities.
EITI implementation
Validation
Senegal achieved a very high overall score (93 points) in implementing the 2019 EITI Standard in October 2021.
For more information about planned Validations, consult the Validation schedule.
EITI Senegal is administered by the Senegal Multi-Stakeholder Group (MGS), also known as the Comité national ITIE Sénégal (CN-ITIE). The MSG is supported by a national secretariat (Secrétariat Technique). The MSG is chaired by Ms Oulimata Sarr.
The EITI has become a growing requirement for civil society and citizens in countries endowed with natural resources. Senegal’s membership of the EITI is in line with this global context aimed at improving the governance of the extractives sector and to promote best practice in the dialogue between the State and its citizens.
HE Mahammed Boun Abdallah DionneFormer Prime Minister of Senegal