Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye and Mauritania’s President Mohamed Ould El Ghazouani visited the Grand Tortue Ahmeyim (GTA) gas platform on Thursday to assess the progress of their cross-border gas project.

The GTA platform, located at the maritime border between the two countries, marks a significant step in positioning Senegal and Mauritania as key liquefied natural gas exporters in West Africa.

BP, the lead operator of the project, successfully completed the first gas shipment in April, signaling the start of commercial operations.

President Faye used the visit to stress the importance of prioritizing domestic energy needs before focusing on exports.