From Saint-Louis to Djiffer, communities are joining forces to defend fishing, farming and local livelihoods with a shared platform for action.

Saint-Louis, 9 September 2027 – From 9 to 30 September, community representatives from Saint-Louis, Lompoul, Kayar and Djiffer will come together for a coastal advocacy tour to document how extractive industries are reshaping their lives, livelihoods and access to natural resources.

The pressures differ from one community to another, but the question is the same: as extractive projects expand along Senegal’s coastline, what future remains for fishing, market gardening, small-scale processing and the local economies built around them?

In Saint-Louis, the development of the Grand Tortue Ahmeyim gas project run by BP has raised concerns over access to fishing grounds, transparency and the handling of offshore incidents. In Kayar, dwindling fish stocks and pressure from the fishmeal industry are already weakening a local economy that depends heavily on fishing, while new offshore gas developments remain on the horizon.

In Lompoul, zircon mining is raising urgent questions about the future of farmland, market gardening and local livelihoods in the Niayes, Senegal’s main horticultural region. In Djiffer, communities are confronting coastal erosion, the proximity of the Woodside’s Sangomar oil field and growing concerns over waste and discharges from offshore operations.

Different projects, different places, same danger: livelihoods that feed families and supply Senegalese markets are steadily losing ground to industries largely geared towards extraction and export.

Senegal has moved from oil and gas promises to production. Oil is now flowing from Sangomar and gas from GTA, while further infrastructure is being planned.

The national gas transmission network is beginning to take shape, and the Ministry of Energy has reported advanced discussions on a second phase of Sangomar. Further development could bring additional offshore infrastructure and, with it, new or expanded zones from which fishers may be excluded.

The debate can therefore no longer focus solely on what these projects promise to deliver for Senegal. It must also address their combined impact on access to the sea, fishers’ safety, local employment, the environment and the country’s food sovereignty.

“Saint-Louis, Kayar, Lompoul and Djiffer have too often been left to fight their battles alone. Yet the projects keep moving forward: the gas network is expanding and further development at Sangomar is on the table. Unless we stand together now, new safety zones could take away even more of our fishing grounds and restrict local livelihoods without communities having a meaningful say,” said Mamadou Sarr, fisherman from Saint-Louis.

Different communities, one shared struggle

The tour will bring together communities whose concerns have too often been treated as separate, localised issues. Together, they are calling for:

  • timely and accessible information on oil, gas and mining operations;
  • meaningful participation in decisions affecting their territories and livelihoods;
  • transparent assessments of the combined impact of infrastructure projects and exclusion zones;
  • independent mechanisms through which communities can report incidents and seek redress;
  • binding safeguards for small-scale fishing, market gardening, local processing and the jobs these activities sustain.

“This is not about pitting one community or one livelihood against another. It is about building collective power before the next round of decisions is locked in. Senegal’s gas network and any further expansion at Sangomar must not result in more exclusion zones at sea without public scrutiny, enforceable safeguards and the meaningful participation of affected communities,” said Mamadou Kaly Ba, Campaigner at Greenpeace Africa.

The concerns documented throughout the tour will inform a shared platform of demands. These demands will be submitted to the relevant authorities to open a broader dialogue on protecting coastal communities as extractive development accelerates.

Press contact : Ibrahima Ka Ndoye – +221778437172

Tour information

The tour will run from 9 to 30 September, with stops in Saint-Louis, Lompoul, Kayar and Djiffer. Each stop will include media briefings and opportunities for community representatives to speak directly about their experiences.

Notes to editors