There is an ongoing land and water grab in Senegal

In the heart of West Africa, a controversial land and water grab is unfolding, driven by African Agriculture Inc., a Wall Street-backed investment company, and Koch Industries, the largest private company in the United States. This partnership is not merely a business venture; it is a strategic land and natural resource grab that threatens the livelihoods of Senegalese people and the ecological balance of the region.

African Agriculture and Koch Industries: A Partnership of Exploitation

African Agriculture Inc., operating from Park Avenue in New York, is spearheading a project that is emblematic of modern neo-colonialism. The company, partly owned by Koch Industries, is growing 300 hectares of alfalfa in a desert nature preserve east of Saint-Louis, Senegal. The alfalfa, a water-intensive crop, is irrigated using water from Lake Guiers, Senegal’s only freshwater reserve, which also supplies half the water to the capital city, Dakar. This project is just the beginning. African Agriculture plans to expand its operations to cover 20,000 hectares and ultimately 2.9 million hectares across Senegal, Mauritania, and Niger—an area roughly the size of Rwanda and six times larger than Delaware.

The Impact on Senegal’s Water Supply

The allocation of vast tracts of land and water to African Agriculture is occurring at a time when Senegal is already facing severe water shortages. Over a million residents in Dakar regularly experience dry taps, relying on polluted groundwater for daily needs. The decision to divert precious water resources to irrigate crops meant for export, primarily to feed livestock in Saudi Arabia, underscores a gross misallocation of resources. As a result, the water demands of African Agriculture’s planned expansion are expected to double the daily water usage from Lake Guiers, exacerbating the already critical water scarcity in Dakar and surrounding regions.

A Modern Land and Resource Grab

This situation is not unique to Senegal. It mirrors the ongoing land grab in Tanzania, where Ortello Business Company Limited (OBC), an Emirati company linked to the UAE royal family, is acquiring land half the size of Mauritius for exclusive tourism and game hunting. Both cases illustrate a disturbing trend where foreign companies exploit Africa's natural resources under the guise of development, often at the expense of local communities and the environment.

The Environmental Toll

The Ndiael Special Wildlife Reserve, where African Agriculture’s alfalfa farm is located, was once a thriving wetland. However, years of damming and irrigation have reduced it to a dry, dusty expanse. The wetlands have shrunk drastically, and the local Fulani communities, who have lived and herded cattle here for generations, now struggle to find water and pasture. The construction of trenches and the imposition of barbed-wire fences by African Agriculture further restrict the movement of herders and their livestock, creating tensions and conflicts.

Corporate Malfeasance and Governance Issues

The shady history of African Agriculture’s founder, Frank Timis, raises further concerns about the legitimacy and ethics of this venture. Timis, a Romanian-Swiss entrepreneur with a controversial past involving oil, diamonds, and other minerals across Africa, has a track record of dubious environmental practices and questionable dealings with local governments. His involvement in the Ndiael project only adds to the skepticism surrounding African Agriculture’s intentions. Using a variety of tools including shady partnerships with family members, Timis compromised two former Presidents of Senegal – Abdoulaye Wade and Macky Sal, hence the free rein he has enjoyed in Senegal.

The Global Context: A Race for Resources

The land grab in Senegal is part of a larger global trend where wealthy nations and corporations are acquiring agricultural land in developing countries to secure food and water resources. In the case of Senegal, this trend is exacerbated by climate change, which is increasing competition for water in a region already prone to drought. The expansion of African Agriculture’s alfalfa farms, which could eventually surpass the size of the existing sugarcane plantations, threatens to destabilize the region's delicate ecological balance further.

A Call to Action: Protecting Senegal’s Resources

The Senegalese government, led by President Faye and Prime MinisterSonko, must urgently address this issue. The long-term consequences of allowing foreign corporations to control such vast amounts of land and water are dire. Not only does this threaten Senegal’s food and water security, but it also risks displacing local communities and damaging the environment irreparably. The parallels to the land grab in Tanzania should serve as a warning—if left unchecked, this could lead to a severe loss of sovereignty over Senegal's natural resources.

Conclusion

The activities of African Agriculture Inc. and Koch Industries in Senegal represent a modern form of colonialism, where foreign entities exploit the natural resources of a developing nation for profit, leaving the local population to bear the brunt of the consequences. It is imperative that Senegal's leaders act swiftly to halt this land and water grab, protect the country's resources, and ensure that any development is sustainable and benefits the local population. The future of Senegal’s environment, economy, and people depends on it.
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