Dakar, Jan 23 (APS) – Professor Cheikh Mbow, Director General of the Ecological Monitoring Center (CSE), assured Thursday in Dakar that the map of Senegal’s mining and hydrocarbon resources shows “a very favorable situation”.
”Today it is clear that the map of Senegal’s mining and hydrocarbon resources shows a very favorable situation,” he said, during the start of the 2024-2025 academic year for Masters programs in defense and national security of the Center for Advanced Defense and Security Studies (CHEDS).
He presented the inaugural lesson focused on the theme ”Environment and governance of natural resources, what security issues and prospects for Africa?”.
Mr. Mbow indicated that “Senegal begins, this year 2025, with very good prospects, by becoming an oil and gas country after having been a gold country (…), a phosphate country”.
Added to these resources is the existence of several rare minerals including zircon which is the subject of much discussion at the moment.
”However, mineral resources reflected in very disrupted global geopolitics show management and control needs that raise complex questions,” the specialist said.
He did not fail to insist on the need to guarantee sustainable governance processes through a change of paradigm and management approach in order to achieve important measures, particularly in the exploitation and valorization of natural resources. taking into account the specificities of the localities.
”Fortunately the State of Senegal has decided to form a strategic orientation committee for oil and gas (COS PETROGAZ) alongside the Initiative for Transparency in the Extractive Industries (ITIE) to give more space to civil society, unions (…) in the optimal exploitation of natural resources,” he said.
-The director of the Ecological Monitoring Center pleaded for strengthening the resources of the EITI which will allow Senegal to manage its resources optimally.
”We must strengthen the EITI because it can provide us with this window through which we manage this issue of transparency to improve the levels of accountability and transparency,” he maintained.
In his presentation, he reviewed the different conflict situations and geopolitical issues linked to the management of natural resources.
He is of the opinion that ”the curse [du pétrole] must become a blessing” but this will depend on the way in which natural resources are managed.
For him, conflicts arising over natural resources tend to arise often following persistent disruptions to livelihoods.
FD/AB/OID
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