The Senegalese government has revealed that electricity fraud causes annual losses of between 60 and 90 billion CFA francs, representing around 10% of the National Electricity Company (Senelec)’s turnover.
The issue, attributed to both individuals and industrial actors, has prompted a nationwide campaign to raise awareness and recover the lost revenue to reinvest in national development. Despite significant challenges, including only 25% of distributed electricity being produced by Senelec—with the remaining 75% purchased from independent power producers (IPPs)—the government has renegotiated costly contracts, achieving 95 billion CFA francs in savings over 15 years.
In response to the crisis, Senegal has adopted a long-term energy strategy aiming to reach 10,000 megawatts of capacity by 2050, up from just under 2,000 megawatts currently.
Plans include strengthening Senelec’s production capacity, rejecting new power plant proposals under 500 megawatts to ensure economies of scale, and prioritizing the use of local gas to reduce production costs.
The government is also targeting a balanced energy mix with 40% renewables by 2029 and aims to lower electricity production costs to under 200 CFA/kWh by 2026 and to 60 CFA/kWh by 2040–2050. These reforms are expected to address widespread disparities in access, particularly in rural areas where electrification rates remain critically low.
