Comité dédié à la stratégie “Gas-to-Power”, “Gas-to-Industrie” et “Gas-to-X” : une initiative qui questionne et relance le débat sur la cohérence institutionnelle.
On October 15, 2025, Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko announced the establishment of a National Committee to steer the “Gas-to-X” strategy, reporting directly to the Prime Minister's office. While this decision signals a strong desire to address energy issues, it also raises questions about the sector's governance, within an institutional landscape already structured around COS-PETROGAZ. Should this be seen as a strategic refocusing or a risk of overlap?
The announcement made on the sidelines of the Council of Ministers raises legitimate questions about institutional coherence and the articulation of responsibilities in the governance of the energy sector.
Senegal already has a strategic body dedicated to oil and gas policies: the Strategic Orientation Committee for Oil and Gas (COS-PETROGAZ), attached to the Office of the President. Its mission includes the development, monitoring, and steering of national strategies in the oil and gas sectors. The creation of a new committee attached to the Prime Minister's office, without clarifying the respective roles, risks introducing redundancies and even conflicts of jurisdiction.
In a context where the effectiveness and clarity of public action are crucial, this new structure could dilute responsibilities and slow down decision-making. The relevance of this approach will therefore depend largely on the ability to clarify responsibilities, establish an effective framework for inter-institutional consultation, and avoid the scattered and unnecessary management of such strategic resources.
The timing of this announcement is also of concern, especially as it comes at a time when several key gas projects are already underway. Major projects to build or convert thermal power plants are currently underway, notably with independent power producers (IPPs) such as West African Energy and ContourGlobal, but also thanks to direct investments from Senelec. Furthermore, the Société du Réseau Gazier du Sénégal (RGS), considered a key lever for implementing the "Gas-to-Power" and "Gas-to-Industry" strategies, is already operational and in the active deployment phase.
In this context, the creation of a committee tasked with "submitting optimized proposals" to ensure the sustainability of the national energy model may seem out of step with the times. It calls into question the necessity, or even the relevance, of a new strategic body, even though the institutional and technical machinery is already in motion, with significant financial commitments, sealed contractual partnerships, and well-advanced deadlines.
The question of the articulation between this new strategic structure and existing systems therefore becomes central, to avoid redundancy, incoherence... or slowdowns.
Abdou Lahad Diakhate
Strategy consultant and expert in oil and gas energy management.
Commentaires (17)
Cest une duplication du cos petrogaz a quelle fin?
Qui peut repondre concretement svp?
Comme dab, très belle intervention. Pas besoin de recréer la roue, juste auditer, consolider, exécuter et suivre...
En plus de tout ca, y'a le BFR qui sera une charge de plus dans un pays au 4eme sous sol lol.
Le pays a besoin de ce genre de débat de fond et d'intérêt général.
Cette initiative du PM est cohérente avec ses attributions.
Quekqu'un qui n'a jamais travaillé dans un Ministère, ni dans une structure étatique devait d'abord commencer par étudier cela.
Les gens du secteur de l'énergie au Sénégal se connaissent !
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