Senegal is counting on five resources to produce its sustainable aviation fuel

Senegal could soon leverage its agricultural resources and biomass to develop a national sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) sector. A feasibility study has identified five raw materials with strong potential: sugarcane, cashew apple, neem, cattail, and jatropha.

The results of this study were presented Monday at a workshop organized in Dakar by the National Agency for Civil Aviation and Meteorology (ANACIM). According to its Director General, Diaga Basse, the country now has several promising avenues that need to be developed into viable industrial projects.
"Feasibility allows us to determine what is possible," he explained, adding that the main challenge now is to define the conditions that allow us to move from identified opportunities to their effective exploitation.

Among the resources studied, sugarcane appears to be one of the most promising options. The Senegalese Sugar Company (CSS) has reportedly already expressed interest in this prospect.

The study, launched in September 2025 with the support of the European Union and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), also analyzed the various technologies under consideration as well as the economic, financial, institutional and regulatory conditions necessary for the establishment of the sector.
However, several obstacles remain to be overcome. Senegal will notably have to secure its supply of raw materials, mobilize the necessary investments, develop suitable infrastructure, and find financing mechanisms to make projects economically viable.

For ANACIM, the production of SAF cannot be limited to the aviation sector alone. It will require the mobilization of several areas, including agriculture, energy, transport, industry, the environment, research and finance.
A new study dedicated to commercial implementation should now help to clarify the economic models, the investments required and the financing mechanisms.

Beyond reducing emissions related to air transport, Senegal sees in SAFs an opportunity to develop new activities at the intersection of agriculture, industry, energy and the economy.

Djamila Kambou