Senegal: New Documentary Requirement for Applicants in Oil, Gas and Mining Sectors

• Documentary requirements. Foreign nationals employed in the oil, gas, and mining sector are required to submit the following documents as part of their Work and Residence Permit application:
  • Local content plan of their hiring company (which is a plan that lays out the company’s goals in hiring local workers);
  • Proof of the hiring company’s recruitment plan for a Senegalese national and two local Senegalese newspaper advertisements of the position;
  • Hiring company’s justification for the applicant’s employment; and
  • A succession plan for a local understudy which must be approved by the National Committee for Monitoring Local Content (CNSCL) prior to the submission of the work permit application.

• Possible rejection. Applicants who fail to submit the required documents may have their applications rejected. 
• Possible longer processing times. Applicants may experience longer processing times due to possible company audits that may be conducted by immigration authorities.

The government has recently implemented this rule (which is part of an existing local content law) as part of their initiative to impose more uniform local content-related legislation and stricter practices for companies with foreign nationals and to encourage the hiring of locals particularly in the oil and gas sector.

It is likely that the Senegalese government will implement further rules based on the existing local content law to further encourage the employment of local workers. We will report on related developments.