Viridien's Sylvain Masclet Joins MSGBC 2026 Following Senegal Data Partnership
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Sylvain Masclet, Director of Sub-Saharan Africa for Viridien's Earth Data business, has been confirmed as a speaker at MSGBC Oil, Gas & Power 2026 in Dakar, where he is expected to contribute to discussions on the future of the MSGBC Basin. His participation follows Viridien's August agreement with Senegal's national oil company Petrosen, which marked the company's entry into the basin.
Under the multi-client agreement, Viridien will work with Petrosen to expand subsurface data coverage of Senegal's portion of the basin, drawing on its seismic imaging and analytics capabilities and the national oil company's knowledge of the region's geology. Capacity building is also part of the collaboration, and the partners intend the resulting data to give companies a stronger basis for exploration decisions. Alioune Seck, CEO of Petrosen E&P, described the partnership as a reflection of the company’s commitment to enhancing Senegal's attractiveness for exploration investment.
Headquartered in France, Viridien has a workforce of roughly 3,200 and works across geoscience, digital and data services. Its Earth Data division licenses multi-client seismic and geological libraries to explorers, and the group is known for advanced imaging methods such as full waveform inversion, which produces high-resolution models of the subsurface from seismic recordings.
Figures shared by Petrosen at MSGBC Oil, Gas & Power 2025 put the explored share of the basin below 10%, with more than 100,000 km² of 3D seismic coverage on offer and further surveys needed in deeper waters. Further south, Eni signed a license for deepwater Block A1 offshore The Gambia in June 2026, and in the same week secured reconnaissance permits over 15 blocks offshore Guinea spanning about 49,000 km². The Gambia National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) is also seeking partners to advance exploration across its onshore acreage.
Against this backdrop, MSGBC Oil, Gas & Power 2026 will give investors direct access to the basin's upstream opportunities through the inaugural MSGBC Data Room and the MSGBC Investment Forum, where governments and national oil companies will set out available acreage and the terms on which they are seeking partners. Masclet's participation adds the perspective of a global data and imaging specialist as exploration advances across all five member states.
Organized by Energy Capital & Power and held under the High Patronage of Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, MSGBC Oil, Gas & Power 2026 takes place December 1–3 in Dakar and will convene heads of state, ministers, investors, operators and development partners from Mauritania, Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau and Guinea-Conakry. Explore opportunities and secure your participation at www.msgbcoilgasandpower.com.