Senegal is moving to break a decade-long stagnation in its palm oil sector. A partnership with Indonesia, the world’s leading palm oil producer, could finally push the country past the 12,000-hectare ceiling that has capped the industry for years.
A low-key meeting held on 11 September in Dakar may prove decisive for a sector that has been stuck for ten years. Senegal’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Livestock (MASAE) presented Indonesian diplomats with an ambitious plan: 60,000 hectares of oil palm plantations to be developed in the centre and south of the country. That would multiply current cultivated area fivefold.
Both sides are now working to set up a joint technical working group to steer the project forward. On sensitive points such as the precise timeline and financing structure, Senegalese officials have so far remained tight-lipped.
A sector crippled by a decade of inertia
The stakes are high, matching the scale of the backlog. FAO data paint a stark picture: between 2015 and 2024, Senegal’s oil palm acreage never exceeded 12,000 hectares, hovering around 11,800 hectares. This stagnation has naturally weighed on industrial palm oil output, which also remained flat at roughly 14,000 tonnes over the period.
As a result, Senegal has had no choice but to open its import taps wide to meet steady domestic demand. Between 2015 and 2024, the country bought an average of 148,100 tonnes of palm oil abroad each year — peaking at 195,937 tonnes in 2017 — with an average annual bill approaching $108 million, climbing to $172 million in 2020. This costly dependence is now squarely in Dakar’s sights as part of its food sovereignty strategy.
Indonesia: a heavyweight on the global stage
Choosing Indonesia was no accident. With production estimated at 46.7 million tonnes for the 2025/2026 season, according to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Asian archipelago stands unchallenged at the top of global palm oil production — and also ranks first in exports. This dominance is built on decades of expertise in varietal selection, plantation management and industrial processing.
For Dakar, the goal goes beyond simply expanding cultivated area: it is about capturing that know-how through technology transfer and local skills development, a prerequisite for building a productive and better-structured industry.
A model already tested on the continent
Senegal is not breaking new ground: other African countries have already forged similar partnerships with Jakarta. In Tanzania, authorities signed a cooperation agreement in 2025 with the Indonesian Palm Oil Association (GAPKI), covering training, technical support and skills transfer. In Nigeria, Africa’s top palm oil producer, a memorandum of understanding concluded in 2024 between local producers and GAPKI pursues the same goals: sharing knowledge and technology to boost productivity.
The question now is whether Dakar can turn the plan into reality where others have only laid the groundwork.
