The timing comes as demand for gas turbines is surging globally. Siemens Energy sold 194 gas turbines in fiscal year 2025, nearly double the 100 sold a year earlier, while its Gas Services business recorded a 42.9% increase in comparable order intake. The company has continued to report record demand in 2026, driven in part by rising electricity consumption and the rapid expansion of data centers.

That global demand has a clear parallel in West Africa, where governments are increasingly looking to domestic natural gas to address power shortages, strengthen grid reliability and support industrial development. Siemens Energy has also expanded its African offering through a partnership with Jubaili Bros to provide small gas turbines and distributed power solutions, initially targeting Nigeria and other markets where decentralized generation can support industrial and off-grid customers.

For the MSGBC countries, the opportunity is becoming increasingly tangible. Mauritania signed agreements in July for the development of the 230 MW N’Diago combined-cycle gas turbine project, the country’s first large-scale gas-fired independent power project. The plant is designed to use domestic natural gas resources to provide baseload electricity to the national grid, strengthening reliability while supporting rising power demand and industrial growth.

Senegal is pursuing a similar strategy as it works to convert existing thermal generation capacity to domestic gas, creating a pathway for the country to capture more value from its offshore resources. Together, these developments point to a broader shift across the basin: gas is increasingly being positioned not only as an export commodity, but as a feedstock for domestic electricity generation and industrialization.

That shift creates a significant market for the infrastructure required to turn gas molecules into reliable power. Gas turbines, grid infrastructure, engineering services and long-term operations and maintenance will all be critical as countries move from upstream development into integrated energy systems.

Minyuku brings more than two decades of experience spanning public policy, government affairs and energy-sector regulation. Before joining Siemens Energy, she served as Group Executive for Government Relations and Regulatory Affairs at South African power utility Eskom, giving her a perspective that spans both the policy environment and the operational realities of large-scale power systems.

Her participation at MSGBC 2026 will come as governments, operators, financiers and technology providers assess how the region can build the infrastructure needed to monetize its growing gas resources. With major offshore projects advancing in Mauritania and Senegal, the next challenge is increasingly clear: connecting upstream gas production with reliable domestic power and the industrial demand that can turn new energy resources into broader economic growth.

MSGBC Oil, Gas & Power 2026 takes place December 1–3 in Dakar, Senegal, with the pre-conference day on December 1 and the main conference and exhibition running December 2–3. Visit msgbcoilgasandpower.com for more information. To attend visit, https://msgbcoilgasandpower.com/attend and to sponsor and exhibit visit, https://msgbcoilgasandpower.com/sponsor-exhibit