Algeria’s state energy group Sonelgaz is extending its reach into West Africa, signing two agreements with Senegal’s national utility. The move is the latest step in a broader strategy that has already taken the company into Mali, Niger, Cameroon, Benin and Mauritania — and it reveals how Algiers is turning its technical know-how into diplomatic leverage.
The signing of two memorandums of understanding with Senelec, Senegal’s national electricity company, on Saturday marks a fresh stage in Algeria’s push for African energy integration.
Algeria is stepping up its economic diplomacy across the continent. On Saturday, 3 October, the Minister of Energy and Renewable Energies, Dr Mourad Adjal, received his Senegalese counterpart, El Hadji Abdourahmane Diouf. At the heart of their talks: the transfer of Algerian expertise and support for Senegal’s electricity and gas infrastructure development.
Sonelgaz as a vehicle for Algeria’s energy diplomacy
The pattern is clear. Algeria is no longer content to export hydrocarbons alone — it is now exporting its engineering. After building a string of partnerships and infrastructure projects with Mali, Niger, Cameroon, Benin and Mauritania, Sonelgaz has set its sights on West Africa.
During the high-level meeting, Dr Mourad Adjal reaffirmed Algiers’ readiness to support Senegal across the entire value chain: from power generation to gas distribution, electrical equipment manufacturing and the training of cadres.
Natural gas emerges as a key issue in the Senelec talks
Senegal, which is preparing to join the small club of gas-producing nations, is looking for experienced partners to help develop its resources. This is where Sonelgaz’s expertise becomes a major asset. The discussions focused heavily on power generation from natural gas, a field in which Algeria has deep experience.
This willingness to pool skills was formalised through the signing of two memorandums of understanding between the Sonelgaz group and Senelec (Société nationale d’électricité du Sénégal). The agreements cover:
- Skills transfer and technical assistance;
- Manufacturing and marketing of electrical equipment;
- Development of energy infrastructure;
- Strengthening of electricity interconnection.
Dakar’s calculus: a ‘reliable partner’
For Dakar, the choice of Algeria is no accident. The Senegalese minister, El Hadji Abdourahmane Diouf, described Algeria as a “reliable partner on which Senegal will rely in the next phase”. Praising Algerian expertise, he recalled that energy remains the strategic engine of his country’s development.
The alliance fits neatly into a vision of mutually beneficial South-South cooperation. By relying on a continental champion like Sonelgaz, Senegal hopes to accelerate its energy independence while benefiting from optimised development costs.
A government-level deal expected in Dakar in December
Sonelgaz’s Senegalese offensive is only just beginning. The productive meeting in Algiers lays the groundwork for an even broader political and economic partnership. The two countries have already set a date: a comprehensive government agreement in the field of energy and renewable energies will be signed in Dakar in early December.
With this new deployment, the Sonelgaz group confirms its ambition to become the undisputed leader in electricity and gas across the African continent, further consolidating Algeria’s position as a regional energy power.
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