Five offshore blocks targeted for new assessment of oil and gas potential September 15, 2026
On the sidelines of Gastech 2026, Senegal and the Italian energy group Eni signed, Monday September 14, 2026, a Memorandum of Understanding relating to the evaluation of the oil and gas potential of five offshore blocks. An initiative which is part of the Government’s desire to relaunch exploration and strengthen the attractiveness of the Senegalese sedimentary basin.
Through this agreement, the Government intends to strengthen knowledge of the Senegalese sedimentary basin and encourage the arrival of new international investments in the upstream oil sector. The interest of Eni, a leading international energy group, is presented as a positive signal for the attractiveness of the national oil field.
As part of the Protocol, Eni will conduct, at its own expense, a program of studies and technical analyzes intended to deepen the geological and geophysical knowledge of the five blocks. The work will notably focus on the analysis of 2D and 3D seismic data as well as available well data. They will also make it possible to assess the oil and gas potential of the areas concerned.
The agreement also provides for technical exchanges, the organization of specialized workshops and knowledge transfer actions. For the Senegalese authorities, this approach should contribute to better exploitation of existing data and to a more detailed knowledge of the national subsoil.
The Government also sees it as a way to consolidate investor confidence in a basin where part of the potential remains to be explored. The quality of data, the stability of the institutional framework and the ability to support investors constitute, according to the press release, determining factors in an international environment marked by strong competition between producing countries and potential producers.
PETROSEN called to strengthen its role
In this new dynamic, the national company PETROSEN is called upon to occupy a central place in the knowledge, promotion and development of the Senegalese sedimentary basin. The State wishes in particular to strengthen its technical and operational capacities, improve its control of data and consolidate its role in the evaluation of resources and the construction of strategic partnerships with international investors.
The Memorandum of Understanding thus recognizes PETROSEN as a technical partner in the system planned between the different parties.
“This signature reflects our desire to put exploration back at the heart of our oil strategy. Senegal has a sedimentary basin with great potential that we want to know better, promote and develop. Our ambition is to attract leading partners, while strengthening PETROSEN so that our national company occupies an ever more important place in the control and development of our oil and gas resources,” underlines the press release.
Beyond the five blocks concerned, the Government intends to make this initiative a signal to the international oil and gas industry. According to the authorities, this involves intensifying the promotion of the Senegalese sedimentary basin, encouraging the return of exploration and creating favorable conditions for new discoveries and new investments.
An agreement that does not amount to allocation of blocks
The press release, however, emphasizes the scope of the Memorandum of Understanding. This opens a phase of studies and discussions, but constitutes neither an oil contract nor an allocation of exploration or exploitation titles. It also does not confer an automatic right to enter into a future oil contract.
Any possible subsequent step must therefore be subject to the procedures and approvals provided for by Senegalese legislation and regulations.
Through this partnership with Eni, Senegal therefore reaffirms its ambition to consolidate its position among attractive destinations for energy investment in Africa. The stated objective is to continue knowledge and development of national resources, while ensuring that their development contributes to energy security, the creation of national value and the economic development of the country.
