Saint-Louis, Senegal – Senegal’s northern city of Saint-Louis is facing recurring shortages of household butane gas, exposing structural weaknesses in the country’s fuel distribution network and raising concerns ahead of the Ramadan consumption peak, regional authorities said this week.
Disruptions have primarily affected the widely used six-kilogram butane cylinders, the main cooking fuel for many low- and middle-income households. According to regional commerce services cited by the state-run Agence de Presse Sénégalaise (APS) on February 3, the shortages stem from the absence of local storage and distribution infrastructure in Saint-Louis.
Ousmane Diallo, the regional director of commerce, said wholesalers in the city depend entirely on supplies transported from Dakar, more than 260 kilometres to the south. As a result, deliveries are vulnerable to logistical delays and bottlenecks along the supply chain.
“Previously, supply delays were counted in days. Today, deliveries can take two to three weeks,” Diallo said, adding that the extended lead times have sharply reduced the availability of six-kilogram cylinders in retail outlets.
The situation has strained household access to cooking fuel, forcing some families to ration usage or turn to alternative and often more expensive energy sources. Smaller two-point-seven-kilogram cylinders and larger nine-kilogram units remain relatively available, but officials noted that the six-kilogram size is the most commonly used by households in Saint-Louis and surrounding areas.
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Regional authorities said they have alerted national officials and distributors to the problem, calling for urgent measures to restore normal supply flows, particularly as Ramadan approaches. Demand for butane gas typically rises sharply during the holy month, increasing the risk of prolonged shortages if logistical constraints persist.
Saint-Louis has faced similar disruptions in the past. In April 2022, households in the region experienced butane shortages during Ramadan following stock outages, underscoring what analysts describe as a recurring vulnerability in Senegal’s domestic gas distribution system.
Butane gas is a politically and socially sensitive commodity in Senegal, where the government has long subsidised household gas to reduce reliance on charcoal and firewood, curb deforestation and protect household purchasing power. Any disruption in supply often triggers public frustration, particularly in urban centres and during religious periods.
The current shortages come as Senegal prepares for a major shift in its energy landscape, driven by the start of offshore gas production. In December 2025, authorities announced plans to develop a four-hundred-kilometre national gas transport network aimed at improving domestic gas supply and reducing dependence on long-distance road transport from Dakar.
The project was presented by Energy Minister Birame Souleye Diop at the MSGBC Oil, Gas and Power 2025 summit. It is designed to transport offshore gas production, including output from the Greater Tortue Ahmeyim (GTA) field located on the maritime border between Senegal and Mauritania, to inland consumption centres across the country.
Officials say the pipeline network could transform domestic gas logistics by supplying butane and other gas products more directly to regions such as Saint-Louis, reducing transport delays, lowering costs and stabilising availability for households and businesses.
“The objective is to ensure equitable access to gas nationwide and avoid the recurrent disruptions linked to road transport and centralised storage,” Diop said at the time of the project’s announcement.
Energy sector analysts note, however, that the pipeline project will take several years to complete and will require significant investment, regulatory coordination and infrastructure development. In the meantime, regions like Saint-Louis remain exposed to short-term supply shocks linked to transport constraints, storage limitations and fluctuations in national distribution schedules.
For now, authorities say their immediate focus is on managing current stocks and accelerating deliveries from Dakar to meet household demand. Officials have also urged distributors to prioritise Saint-Louis ahead of Ramadan, while longer-term solutions remain under development.
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As Senegal moves towards becoming a gas-producing nation, the shortages in Saint-Louis highlight a central challenge facing policymakers: translating offshore energy wealth into reliable, affordable access for households across the country.
