Senegal

Senegal’s extractive sector contributes significantly to the country’s economy. In 2024, it generated 12% of government revenues and accounted for 31% 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 31 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 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.

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.

The Ministry of Energy, Petroleum and Mines, the Directorate General of Taxes and Domains (DGID - a department of the Ministry of Economy, Finance and Planning), and the state-owned oil company PETROSEN jointly oversee the extractive sector. PETROSEN is specifically charged with collecting the revenue from the State's oil and gas production share. 

EITI Senegal publishes the relevant laws on its website. 

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.

The Directorate General of Mining (DGM) manages the mining cadastre, which contains:

• Details on licence holders and applicants.
• 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).

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. 

In July 2025, Senegal adopted a revised decree on the beneficial ownership register, removing previous legal barriers to public access. Previously, data could only be disclosed upon demonstrating a “legitimate interest”. Senegal is now working to operationalise the register through a digital platform, with further support welcome for its development.

In 2022, Senegal joined the Opening Extractives programme, a global initiative to improve the availability and use of beneficial ownership data. 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.