Algeria’s energy giant is making a decisive move into West Africa, and Senegal is the next frontier. After establishing a firm presence in Mali, Niger, Cameroon, Benin and Mauritania, Sonelgaz has now set its sights on the Senegalese market.
The signing of two memoranda of understanding with Senelec this Saturday marks a major turning point in Algeria’s push for African energy integration.
Algeria is stepping up its economic diplomacy across the continent. On Saturday, October 3, the Minister of Energy and Renewable Energies, Dr Mourad Adjal, received his Senegalese counterpart, El Hadji Abdourahmane Diouf. At the heart of their talks: the transfer of Algerian expertise and support for Senegal’s development of electricity and gas infrastructure.
How Sonelgaz is driving Algeria’s energy diplomacy
The momentum is clear. Algeria is no longer content to export its hydrocarbons — it now exports its engineering. After multiplying partnerships and infrastructure projects with Mali, Niger, Cameroon, Benin and Mauritania, Sonelgaz has set its sights on West Africa.
During this high-level meeting, Dr Mourad Adjal reaffirmed Algiers’ willingness to support Senegal across the entire value chain: from electricity production to gas distribution, as well as the manufacture of electrical equipment and the training of executives.
Natural gas emerges as the new cornerstone of cooperation with Senelec
Senegal, which is about to join the very select club of gas-producing countries, is looking for experienced partners to develop its resources. This is where Sonelgaz’s expertise becomes a major asset. The discussions largely focused on electricity production from natural gas, a field in which Algeria excels.
This desire to pool skills materialised through the signing of two memoranda of understanding between the Sonelgaz group and Senelec (Senegal’s national electricity company). These agreements cover:
- Skills transfer and technical assistance;
- Manufacturing and marketing of electrical equipment;
- Development of energy infrastructure;
- Strengthening of electrical interconnection.
Senegal bets on a ‘reliable partner’
For Dakar, the choice of Algeria is no accident. The Senegalese minister, El Hadji Abdourahmane Diouf, described Algeria as a “reliable partner on which Senegal will rely in the next stage”. Praising Algerian expertise, he recalled that energy remains the strategic engine of his country’s development.
This alliance fits perfectly into the vision of a mutually beneficial South-South cooperation. By relying on a continental champion like Sonelgaz, Senegal hopes to accelerate its energy independence while benefiting from optimised development costs.
A government agreement expected in Dakar in December
Sonelgaz’s Senegalese offensive is only just beginning. This fruitful meeting in Algiers lays the groundwork for an even broader political and economic partnership. The two countries have already set a date: a comprehensive government agreement in the field of energy and renewable energies will be signed in Dakar in early December.
With this new deployment, the Sonelgaz group confirms its ambition to become the undisputed leader in electricity and gas on the African continent, thereby consolidating Algeria’s position as a regional energy power.
