Senegal

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Senegal is located at the western end of the African continent which is the most advanced part of the Atlantic Ocean. It’s in a hub position connecting Africa to the rest of the world and covering a total area of about 196,712sqkm, boarded by Mauritania in the north, Mali to the east. Senegal is known to have significant potential for mineral resources such as gold, iron, copper, chromium, nickel, phosphates, barite, limestone, and titanium. Gold deposits are concentrated in the southeast of the country, in the region of Kédougou along the border with Guinea and Mali. At the same time, phosphates deposits are found along Senegal's northeast border with Mauritania, in central Senegal (Thiès, Diourbel, and Louga) and the western part of the Casamance region, south of the Gambia. The Matam area, in the northeast, is home to the most significant deposits: proven reserves of 40 million metric tons and further estimated reserves of 100 million metric tons. In 2019 gold accounted for 31.16 percent of Senegal's total export. In 2020 Senegal was ranked 122 out 190 in the ease of doing business with reforms such as improving access to credit information by expanding the coverage of the credit bureau and offering credit scoring as a value-added service, and implementing an electronic filing and payment system and less costly by merging several taxes to make paying taxes easier

Quick Facts

Gold

Primary Mineral

> 140 Million MT

Estimated Reserves

Undisclosed

Tax Benefits

Undisclosed

Active resource businesses

The mining industry in Senegal is of intermediate maturity. The discovery of gold in the east of the country (Kédougou), exploitation of zircon at Diogo (in the center of the country, the Thiès region), and exploitation of phosphate mines & mines, support the development of the mining sector. Senegal has encouraged the development of the mineral sector with investment in geophysical surveys, geological mapping, and development of centers for mining documentation and a mining cadastre (Aspermont UK 2009; Bermudez-Lugo 2009; Ngom 2010). Phosphates have led Senegal’s mining operations since the opening of two large mines in the Thies region (about 70 kilometers outside of Dakar) in the 1940s and 1950s. Reserves of calcium phosphates are estimated at 100 million tons and 50–70 million tons of aluminium phosphates, which together give Senegal the potential to be among the top 10 phosphate producers in the world. The exploitation of phosphate is part of a critical project set out by the state in its 2016 Mining Sector Policy Letter. The aim is to make Senegal one of the world’s top three producers of phosphate by 2023.

In 2020, developing economies account for a record share of FDI. They accounted for 72% of global FDI, the highest share ever recorded. Senegal is among the few economies that experienced an increase in FDI flows (39%) in 2020.
Thus, FDI is estimated at 1.5 billion $US in 2020 due to investments in the energy sectors. Senegal exports in 2019 are led by Gold ($679M), Refined Petroleum ($628M), Phosphoric Acid ($346M), Non-fillet Frozen Fish ($322M), and Ground Nuts ($192M). The most common destination for the exports of Senegal are Mali ($960M), Switzerland ($620M), India ($400M) and China ($289M)

Senegal released its 2015 and 2016 EITI reports on 16 October 2017, making its EITI report the most up-to-date in Africa. The Board notes that Senegal has made rapid progress in the five years of implementing EITI. The validation confirms that Senegal uses EITI to support reforms in extractive industry oversight and public financial management.

EITI has also asserted that Senegal had made swift progress in its five years of EITI implementation. Validation confirmed that Senegal had used the EITI to support reforms in the oversight of the extractive industries and public financial management

Licences required to undertake prospecting and exploration activities:

A prospecting authorisation

This license confers on the holder a non-exclusive right to prospect for the mineral substances covered by the authorisation throughout the authorised area. A prospecting authorisation can cover any type of mineral (with the exception of minerals found in quarries) and is not generally subject to location restrictions. However, the Ministry of Mines can prohibit, in the public interest, prospecting for one or several minerals in all or part of the territory of Senegal for a specified period.

An exploration permit

This license confers on the holder the exclusive right to explore for the mineral substances for which it is issued. An exploration permit can cover any type of mineral, with the exception of minerals found in quarries, which are subject to separate authorisation, and is not subject to location restrictions, unless it is granted within a promotional zone following a tender launched by the state. A company cannot hold more than two exploration permits for the same mineral.

A production sharing agreement (PSA)
This license is entered into between the Ministry of Mines and a contractor grants the contractor an exclusive exploration authorisation to carry out its obligations thereunder. A PSA can be granted only for promotional zones, unless the holder of a permit for a mining area located outside a promotional zone opts to conduct the mining activities under a PSA. The PSA is approved by way of a decree and contains its validity period which is set by the parties.

Exploration License
Large Scale Mining License
Small Scale Mining License
A small-scale operating authorization, which is limited to a 500-hectare mining area
A semi-mechanized operating authorization: It is issued to carry out mining operations on an area of less than 50 hectares; and
An artisanal mining authorization: It is issued to individuals for an initial period of five years and can be renewed several times for further five-year periods.

Massawa Gold Project

Bambaraya Senegal

Sabodala Gold Project

Sabodala, Senegal

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Senegal

Quick Facts

Gold

> 140 Million MT

Undisclosed

Undisclosed

Massawa Gold Project

Sabodala Gold Project

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