**Categories:** News, Oil **Tags:** Sonatrach, Senegal, Mauritania, Petrosen, energy cooperation **Excerpt:** Algiers points to the next stage of Sonatrach’s African expansion in Senegal and Mauritania. Discussions with Dakar cover the entire hydrocarbon chain, from exploration to refining, with potential cooperation involving Petrosen, training and skills transfer. **Slug:** sonatrach-senegal-mauritanie-cooperation-hydrocarbures **Image alt:** Algerian and Senegalese officials examine prospects for energy cooperation between the two countries.
Sonatrach is preparing a presence in Senegal and studying prospects in Mauritania, according to statements by Algeria’s Hydrocarbons Minister Mohamed Arkab. This direction forms part of the state-owned group’s strategy to expand its African activities following commitments in Niger and Libya. Discussions with Dakar notably involved Senegal’s Energy and Petroleum Minister and Sonatrach’s management.
Discussions concern developing cooperation throughout the oil and gas chain: exploration, production, field development, refining and petrochemicals. A partnership between Sonatrach and Senegal’s national oil company, Petrosen, could provide a framework for new investment, expertise exchanges and technical solutions. At this stage, the announcement describes a direction and preparations, rather than an investment project already finalized.
Closer ties in a changing region
Senegal and Mauritania are rapidly developing offshore resources. The Sangomar oil field has entered production in Senegal, while Grand Tortue Ahmeyim, shared by both countries, began delivering liquefied natural gas to the market in 2025. These projects create new needs for skills, infrastructure, services and resource management.
Algerian experience could interest Dakar in engineering, petroleum data management, industrial safety and hydrocarbon processing. Sonatrach’s activities cover production, transport, gas treatment, refining and petrochemicals. Senegalese authorities will need to identify precisely where this expertise can complement national capabilities and support Petrosen’s objectives.
Both governments also discussed training. The Algerian Petroleum Institute and Sonatrach’s training centers could strengthen exchanges with Senegalese institutions. Programs targeting safety, legal frameworks, data and operations can help develop local skills, provided they connect to project needs and lasting career paths.
An expanding African strategy
Sonatrach has begun strengthening its presence in Niger, notably through exploration blocks and feasibility studies, and is continuing to restart its activities in Libya. Senegal and Mauritania would represent an expansion into West Africa, where gas and oil projects attract growing numbers of operators. Geographic proximity and political exchanges among Algiers, Dakar and Nouakchott can facilitate initial contacts, but success will depend on commercial and regulatory conditions.
A national company’s international expansion serves several objectives: diversifying assets, capitalizing on expertise and strengthening South–South partnerships. For host states, the arrival of an African public operator can broaden competition and offer a partner familiar with the continent’s constraints. It must nevertheless be assessed using the same criteria as any other operation: investment actually committed, skills transfer, tax benefits and compliance with national rules.
Discussions will also need to specify each partner’s role. In exploration, participating in a block entails financial and operational obligations, drilling decisions and shared geological risk. In refining or petrochemicals, profitability depends on supply costs, infrastructure, market size and import competition. A general cooperation agreement is not enough to establish a particular project’s viability.
Conditions for a useful partnership
For Senegal, exchanges can support Petrosen’s skills development and help local suppliers emerge. The priority will be to turn existing protocols into concrete programs: schedules, responsible parties, financing, training indicators and pilot projects. Publishing agreements and cooperation scopes would help distinguish political ambitions from operational commitments.
Mauritania is also mentioned as a market offering new prospects, but details of planned activities have not been made public. Regional gas, infrastructure and service needs could open opportunities, particularly around offshore projects and cross-border trade. Any entry must nevertheless build on Mauritanian priorities and frameworks set by national authorities.
Sonatrach’s opening toward Dakar and Nouakchott reflects Algeria’s ambition to play a more visible role in African energy exchanges. The next milestones will be formal agreements, specific project identification and capital allocation. The partnership will become significant if it develops local capabilities and delivers measurable value to both countries beyond diplomatic announcements.