Gambia Denounces Allegations of Oil and Gas Resource Misappropriation by Senegal

Strategic Insights -

The Gambia's Petroleum Ministry has strongly rejected claims of oil and gas resource misappropriation by Senegal, labeling them as misleading and lacking technical or scientific basis. The Ministry asserts that exploration, a process of searching for oil, must precede extraction, the actual removal of oil from the ground. Despite years of exploration, The Gambia has yet to make any discoveries, hindering further evaluation and economic potential assessment.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Gambia has been exploring for oil for many years but has not yet made any discoveries.
  • The country cannot move on to the next phase of oil and gas resource evaluation without discovering oil.
  • Senegal's Sangomar oilfield's major breakthrough began with the successful drilling of the SNE-1 exploration well in November 2014, a discovery that occurred before The Gambia's current government came into power.
  • Senegal has conducted 49 offshore drillings in the Sangomar area compared to The Gambia's five exploration wells, with the last well drilled by FAR in 2021 located about 500 meters away from the border with Senegal.
  • Seismic data acquisition and interpretation continue to gather momentum in The Gambia.
  • The Gambia encourages investment in its oil blocks and has received expressions of interest from various oil companies.
  • The Ministry urges the public to disregard unfounded allegations and engage in factual discussions regarding the country's natural resources.

Statistics:

  • 49 offshore drillings have been conducted by Senegal in the Sangomar area.
  • 5 exploration wells have been drilled in The Gambia, with 2 onshore and 3 offshore.
  • The last well drilled by FAR in 2021 was located about 500 meters away from the border with Senegal.
  • Two offshore wells were commissioned recently by FAR Ltd in 2019 and 2021.
  • The Gambia has no oil and gas reserves to date.

Sources:

  • The Gambia's Petroleum Ministry
  • FAR Ltd
  • [No external references provided in the source material]