The Gambia’s Ministry of Petroleum, Energy, and Mines has dismissed the content of an audio circulating online, suggesting that its neighbour, the Republic of Senegal, is siphoning its oil resources from underground.
According to the ministry, the claim is not only misleading but also lacks any technical or scientific basis.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the ministry explained that since the 1960s, The Gambia had drilled only five exploration wells—two onshore and three offshore—with two of the offshore wells drilled by FAR Ltd. in 2019 and 2021, without any discoveries.
In contrast, the ministry indicated that Senegal had conducted 49 offshore drillings in the Sangomar area to find oil and gas.
It pointed out that the last well drilled by FAR (in 2021) was about 500 metres away from the border with Senegal.
It said this was a deliberate attempt to see if we have oil around the areas Senegal discovered oil.
“Unfortunately, from that well, there was no discovery warranting a conversation on joint resource development or sharing at the time. No exploration well has been drilled since then,” the ministry stated.
Consequently, The Gambia and Senegal cannot initiate such negotiations because The Gambia has not yet made any discoveries near the border that would warrant such negotiations,” the statement said.
Besides, the ministry said its seismic data acquisition and interpretation continue to gather momentum.
“It is crucial to emphasise that seismic data and well data are confidential and extremely valuable to be shared publicly.
“These details must not be shared with anyone unless authorised parties and licensed partners, within the framework of signed data sharing agreements for oil exploration and exploitation, request access. We continue to encourage investment in The Gambia’s oil blocks, which has culminated in receiving expressions of interest from various oil companies for our acreages.”
The ministry called on the public to disregard the unfounded allegations, incendiary statements and recognise the importance of factual and informed discussions regarding our natural resources.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
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