Senegal—the start of a beautiful friendship

A victory for Macky Sall in the presidential elections in 2019 would cement the future of his country's hydrocarbons industry and bring more exploration

Even before final investment decisions (FIDs) have been taken on Senegal's first major hydrocarbons projects, wider industry interest in the country has been ignited. More drilling may be the outcome. Kosmos Energy and BP are already moving on with exploration in Senegalese acreage to the south of the cross-border Tortue finds, where they could find oil or gas. Kosmos has long pushed the oil—as well as gas—potential of its Senegalese and Mauritanian acreage, and while BP insists it is keener on gas than oil these days, an oil find could still help the economics of any future developments. But major oil discoveries have yet to materialise on their licence areas. Kosmos, which runs the partner