Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has held discussions with the Senegalese President Macky Sall over a partnership that could offer “attractive growth potential” in the oil and gas sector for the West African country.

Le partenariat entre le Sénégal et le #Canada offre un potentiel intéressant de croissance dans les secteurs des mines, de l’agriculture, du pétrole, du gaz, des énergies propres et du numérique. Ravi d’accueillir à Dakar le PM @JustinTrudeau pour travailler sur ces sujets. pic.twitter.com/PpD9CjO3PK — Macky Sall (@Macky_Sall) February 12, 2020

Justin Trudeau has been on a world tour in an attempt to garner support for a seat at the United Nation’s security council. Trudeau was in Africa last week, where he granted a $10 million package to empower African women.

Trudeau’s willingness to engage in foreign oil and gas projects may come as a surprise to Canadians who have seen the prime minister fail to intervene in illegal blockades over the building of a pipeline in Northern British Columbia.

On top of this, the Trudeau government has been accused of killing the Keystone XL pipeline by the Alberta Premier Jason Kenney, and created significant economic strife after delaying the construction of the TMX pipeline.

More recently, the Trudeau government has considered killing another energy project in Alberta: namely, the TeckMine oilsands project that could create 7,000 jobs for the province.

Senegal is currently revamping their economy to provide more opportunities to the oil and gas sectors within their country. This expansion will supposedly offer opportunities for Canadian energy firms, while not affecting the carbon targets of the Trudeau government in Canada.

The Trudeau government’s willingness to consider oil and gas expansions in Africa (a country that is noted for it’s poor record on human rights) whilst expressing a lukewarm attitude towards Canadian energy projects, may create a strong reaction back home.