Since March 1st, Senegal has become an observer member of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (Gcef). This very closed circle of twenty gas-producing member countries helps member states to plan and manage their natural gas resources independently.

Thanks to this membership, Senegal will be able to establish a more transparent and efficient policy for its resources with a view to structurally transforming our economy. Through the « Gas to Power » strategy, our country is aiming for universal access to electricitý by 2026 and reduced production costs with a view to industrialisation.

The gas resources discovered since 2014 can and will qualitatively change our country’s destiny. These recoverable resources are estimated at 910 billion cubic metres, including 50% of the resources of the Grand Tortue Ahmeyim gas field that we share with our neighbour Mauritania, in addition to our own Yakaar-Téranga and Sangomar blocks.

Read the column – Mati Diop, Symbol of «Senegal That Wins»

Hydrocarbons have transformed small Bedouin provinces in the Gulf into economically prosperous and politically powerful states. Qatar is now a major player on the international stage thanks to its financial clout, generated in particular by its gas reserves. This small country, the size of a major European metropolis, is now at the heart of geopolitical dynamics. The example of Gaza speaks for itself, as Qatar is the only entity able to act as a link between the belligerents, Israel and Hamas, in addition to the states at the heart of the crisis, Egypt, France, Germany and the United States. Moreover, the only truces obtained to allow humanitarian aid through and free hostages were negotiated and signed in Doha.

On the international stage, and particularly within multilateral diplomacy, each country is supposed to represent one voice. But we should be under no illusions: political weight is often dependent on economic weight. Give me the weight of your GDP and I’ll tell you what value your vote at the United Nations has, you might argue. That’s why our membership of Gcef is so important, because it will propel us even further along the road to emergence, a guarantee of inclusive and sustainable prosperity, but also of weight and representativeness on the diplomatic front. A country counts as much as it weighs. 

Read the column – In the Soft Tropical Dictatorship of Senegal

I have already noted in these columns Macky Sall’s « good diplomatic marks ». His membership of Gcef is another, so characteristic is his leadership, vision and ambition for our country. These go beyond mandates, legal arguments, constitutional twists and turns and the prevailing din. Having the ambition to put our country on the world geopolitical map for good is part of the republican mysticism that promotes the national interest to the detriment of posturing, politicking and bravado against a backdrop of manipulation. This ambition makes some of the images relayed by the press and social networks derisory and even picturesque, and they never allow us to rise to the dignity and decency conferred by the exercise of the State.

As in all the international organisations of which we are a member, Senegal will play a major role within Gcef. We have skilled human resources and a strong diplomatic tradition.

Read the column – In My Country, Humanity Has Disappeared

President Sall was right to point out that we will be defending « fair remuneration for gas resources, whose global consumption is expected to reach around 4089 billion cubic metres in 2023, and a fair and equitable energy transition ».

Senegal, like the other African member countries, will promote unashamedly the exploitation of natural resources to guarantee the industrialisation of the continent and meet the challenge of employment, social inclusion and energy sovereignty. As a reminder, 600 million Africans still do not have access to electricity, which is a fundamental right.

Our ambition for progress will come up against the pressure and blackmail of the great powers on climate. This is where political leadership and a sense of historical responsibility will dictate that we act in Senegal’s vital interests. President Sall is on his way out, leaving behind an exceptional economic and diplomatic record, but Senegal is called upon to carry on, because at the moment we are merely the legatees and continuators of a long and storied history inherited from our founding fathers. Joining Gcef is a major step forward for the government. It is now up to those who join to ensure its continued existence, while at the same time defending Senegal’s prestige and the finesse and power of its diplomatic tools, whatever the vicissitudes of domestic political life.

Read the column – My Republic Is Uncompromising

By becoming an observer member of GCEF, President Sall’s Senegal is perpetuating a tradition of being present where the world’s major issues are discussed. This is the Senegal that is different from the one that the idle wanderers and the crude, voluble and vulgar characters on TV and social networks want to impose.

The next regime will have to carry on with history so that it continues to bring about great transformations. The State is a continuity towards a common horizon, the horizon of all possibilities, with respect for the fundamentals of the State and the Republic, and with the aim of being a beacon of light and social progress.

Thanks to our oil and gas resources, our country can, in addition to its political weight, become an economic power capable of exerting greater influence in a complex and uncertain world geopolitics that holds the seeds of the best, but above all the worst.

By Hamidou ANNE / hamidou.anne@lequotidien.sn

  • Translation by Ndey T. SOSSEH