Written by: Qusay Ahmed 

The Prime Minister announced SenegalY, Ousmane Sonko, said that his country had reached an agreement for the joint withdrawal of two foreign companies from the license to exploit the Yakaar Teranga gas field, in a move he described as a significant milestone in Senegal’s economic path, without the state incurring any financial burdens as a result of this withdrawal.

Review of energy contracts in Senegal

Sonko explained in a post published on his official Facebook page that the agreement includes the companies Kosmos and Petrosen, noting that it will be enshrined in a ministerial decree that grants a new exploitation license exclusively to the national company Petrosen, which is affiliated with the Senegalese state.

The Prime Minister considered this move a major victory for Senegal, emphasizing that it culminates a nearly ten-year effort by authorities to regain control of one of the country's most important gas fields. He added that the Yakaar Teranga field is among the most promising fields in the Senegalese sedimentary basin, given its significant potential to support the national economy and strengthen the energy sector.

Sonko indicated that his government is continuing to review a number of assets that it believes were transferred unfairly during previous periods, stressing the commitment to recovering them whenever necessary, within the framework of what he described as a corrective path aimed at protecting national interests and strengthening sovereignty over natural resources.

In this context, he pointed out that the previous license related to the field was granted, as he put it, under mysterious circumstances during the rule of former President Macky Sall, stressing the current government’s determination to uncover the circumstances of this file and to continue working to correct the imbalances that marred the management of some strategic resources.

Sonko also praised the efforts of the Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum, Biram Souleymane Diop, along with the Director General of Petrosen and all the technical and administrative teams that participated in this process, appreciating what he described as the tight organization and precise implementation of the government directives.

The Yakaar Teranga field is of strategic importance, as it lies within a promising gas area in the shared basin between Senegal and Mauritania, which also includes the Greater Tortue Ahmeyim project, one of the most prominent gas projects in West Africa. This development will strengthen Senegal's position as an emerging player in the regional and international energy market.