Dr. El Hadji Abdourahmane Diouf is Senegal’s Minister of Energy and Petroleum. He was appointed on 1 June 2026 in a government reorganisation that created a dedicated Ministry of Energy and Petroleum alongside a separate Ministry of Mines and Geology. He leads the sector as Senegal develops its offshore oil and gas production, including the Sangomar field, and works to extend reliable electricity to all its citizens.

Diouf holds a master’s degree in public law from Gaston Berger University in Saint-Louis, postgraduate diplomas in international law (1999) and in communication and media studies (2002) from the University of Geneva, and a doctorate in international economic law (2007) from the World Trade Institute at the University of Bern. At the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD) in Geneva, he served as Director of the Africa Programme before leading its programme on Economic Partnership Agreements. He is the author of L’Afrique et le droit à la différence dans les négociations commerciales internationales (L’Harmattan, 2009).

He went on to work as an international consultant on trade policy and public-private partnerships, leading the African Agency for Trade and Development (2ACD). His earlier public roles include Director General of the Société Nationale des Eaux du Sénégal (SONES), to which he was appointed in November 2012, and head of the Club des Investisseurs Sénégalais from 2019 to 2020. He entered government on 5 April 2024 as Minister of Higher Education, Research and Innovation, and served as Minister of Environment and Ecological Transition from September 2025 until June 2026.

Diouf’s stated priorities are to accelerate upstream development, expand the use of natural gas in the domestic market and for power generation, apply Senegal’s local content policy in the hydrocarbons and energy sectors, widen access to reliable, sustainable and competitive electricity, including in rural areas, and strengthen the regulatory framework for long-term investment.