Congo and Senegal outline a bold partnership in refining

On a week-long visit to Dakar, Bruno Jean-Richard Itoua, the Congolese Minister of Hydrocarbons, made no secret of his admiration for the facilities of the Société africaine de raffinage (Sar). During his visit to Senegal's flagship refinery, he made a fervent plea for closer bilateral cooperation between the two oil-producing nations, a partnership he described as "mutually beneficial" for their respective populations.

"We came to listen, exchange ideas and lay the foundations for a more structured and institutional collaboration. I hope that by the end of this visit, we will have produced a concrete text. This document will have the merit of clarifying our ambitions and encouraging everyone to get to work quickly", declared Mr Itoua. He underlined the mutual esteem between the heads of state of the two countries as a solid foundation for this initiative, adding: "We will ensure that this project moves forward quickly, because what I have seen and heard here makes me proud.

The objective is clear: to establish an exchange of experience between Sar, recognised as a benchmark in French-speaking Africa, and the Congolaise de raffinage (Coraf). For the Congolese minister, this collaboration is part of a wider pan-African vision. "Sar is emblematic in the refining sector. Today, we need to structure our efforts across the entire hydrocarbons sector, to strengthen it, especially now that Senegal covers the entire value chain. Africa is winning, modernising and becoming competitive. We don't say it enough, but it's a tangible reality in the 21st century", he insisted.

Mamadou Abib Diop, Managing Director of Sar, shares this enthusiasm. In his view, the challenges facing the two countries are similar, providing fertile ground for synergies. "The context is comparable between Congo and Senegal. We have identified relevant areas for collaboration. In Congo, they are finalising a project for a second refining cycle, just as we are in Senegal, with a structuring project supported by the government as part of Vision Sénégal 2050", he explained.

The key challenge for both nations is to control the exploitation of their energy resources and achieve sustainable energy sovereignty. "We want to share what we have in common, avoid working in silos and join forces to meet this shared objective, which covers the entire value chain," added Mr Diop. This ambition is based on an obvious complementarity: Senegal, which recently joined the ranks of oil producers, and Congo, an established player in Central Africa, have everything to gain from pooling their skills.

At the end of this visit, all eyes are on the signing of a formal agreement that could seal this budding partnership. If the political and technical will converge, this cooperation could become a model for regional energy integration, driven by an Africa determined to make the most of its resources.