Senegal President Macky Sall has swiftly assembled a team of loyalists in key ministerial and advisory positions, including state oil utility Petrosen, and is poised to launch a raft of upstream initiatives as his second term unfolds.

Sall emerged as head of state in 2012 following street protests against his predecessor Abdoulaye Wade’s unpopular bid to keep the job for a third term.

Now critics fear this veteran petroleum geologist is himself angling to dominate the oil business long after his tenure expires.

Sall wasted no time in abolishing the post of prime minister and has already had the constitution rewritten to reduce the legislature’s capacity for democratic censure.

Backed by the Bretton Woods monetary system and the Islamic Development Bank, the Senegal Emergent Plan has attracted $14 billion in pledges, while planned offshore investments may nudge $20 billion, generating undiscounted fiscal flows that will double that figure in the years ahead.

Amid a clamour from allies and political cronies seeking recompense, Sall is likely to encourage local participation, restoring the prospect of reprieve to companies ready to embrace indigenous content.

At stake is the fate of onshore licensees T5 Oil & Gas, A-Z Petroleum and Casamance operator Tender Oil, deleted from the map but still hopeful ever since applications were frozen last September.

Minnows remain on tenterhooks - Romanian founder Ovidiu Tender may be languishing in jail, but his business partners retain cordial relations, while Israeli player Elenilto is set to win an extension.

With major and mid-tier investors lined up, expect a flurry of farm-ins and farm-downs over the next few months.

Weekly

Sall sets sail in Senegal