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The small fishing town of Saint-Louis in Senegal has been struggling with various problems, such as climate change, illegal entry of foreign industrial trawlers and the COVID-19 pandemic, and a host of other issues. Some people say it all started with the new gas project, which was commissioned.
The small fishing town of Saint-Louis in Senegal has been struggling with various problems, such as climate change, illegal entry of foreign industrial trawlers and the COVID-19 pandemic, and a host of other issues. Some people say it all started with the new gas project, which was commissioned.
A new gas project off the coast was announced in 2015. The community was hopeful it would bring new opportunities. Instead, many locals say, the gas has only brought only problems and pushed people to desperation, so much so it has forced some women to turn to prostitution to support their families.
The oil deal envisaged a partnership among global gas and oil giants BP and Kosmos Energy, and Senegal and Mauritania’s state-owned oil companies. The plant is expected to produce around 2.3 million tons of liquified natural gas a year. Mauritania hoped to benefit by locally sourcing products, developing the workforce, and supporting sustainable development. But nothing much has happened, complaints the local population.
But partner companies have a different take. They say more than 3,000 jobs in some 350 local companies have been generated in Senegal and Mauritania, according to BP. The company also cited its work to renovate the maternity unit at the Saint-Louis Hospital and its help of 1,000 patients with a mobile clinic operating in remote areas.
In a statement, Kosmos spokesman Thomas Golembeski, said the project would provide a source of low-cost natural gas and expand access to reliable, affordable, and cleaner energy. He also cited access to a micro-finance credit fund established for the fishing community.
If that is the version of the gas companies, people living around have a different take. Traditionally, many women make a living processing fish, while the men catch it; sons, husbands, and fathers spend weeks at sea. But with the restrictions, families could not feed their children or pay rent. In some cases, families had to pull their children out of school or switch them from private to public schools where the teachers don’t show up for days.
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The local government said people’s concerns about the rig were overblown and that the community needs to be patient, at least until after production, which is expected to start by the end of this year.
