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Gabon is pushing for deepwater oil and gas exploration to bring new projects online, and restore production decline in Central and West Africa

The newly appointed Minister of Oil and Gas of Gabon, Sosthène Nguema Nguema, has announced the administration's interests in tapping into the country's deepwater acreage, 72% of which remains unexplored. To get this going, existing petroleum laws are being revised to introduce fresh incentives for deepwater exploration and interests. 

The Gabonese Government is leveraging the Gabon Oil Company for a stronger ownership role and commercialising legacy assets with takeovers such as that of Carlyle owned Assala. Now, with the promotion of deepwater exploration in a global scale, Gabon will not only see a boost in production count but also the development of a new hub for refined product distribution in Central Africa.

Gabon is anticipated to produce close to 1 million barrels of oil per day. As the country boasts of more than 2 bn barrels of proven oil reserves, its current objective is to maintain a production count above 220,000 barrels per day for the short to midterm. This will become a lot easier with the advancement of deepwater exploration. Regulatory reform represents a cornerstone of the country’s exploration strategy, with potential improvements to petroleum legislation set to strengthen the competitiveness of investing in Gabon’s deepwater blocks. In 2019, the country introduced its Hydrocarbons Code. The new government seeks to go even further, recognising the presence of stiff competition from other offshore destinations globally. The code featured amendments to production sharing contracts (PSC), state profitability and tax, therefore providing a quicker path to profitability for foreign operators. Looking ahead, further revisions of this code stand to support new investment, encouraging deepwater exploration and new forays by global operators.

Major players are already active in Gabon, with ongoing developments underscoring the potential available across Gabon’s offshore blocks. Exploration and production company BW Energy, for example, signed PSCs for exploration blocks Niosi Marin and Guduma Marin in 2024, covering an eight-year exploration period with a two-year extension option. BW Energy and its partner on the block VAALCO Energy have committed to drilling one well as well as carrying out a 3D seismic acquisition campaign. BW Energy also has stakes in the Dussafu license, which features 14 producing wells tied back to a FPSO through a 20km pipeline. Partners on the license include the state-owned Gabon Oil Company (GOC) and Panoro Energy. Independent oil and gas company Perenco spud the Hylia South West discovery in Gabon in early 2024, revealing substantial oil-bearing columns in the Ntchengue Ocean reservoir. Chinese oil firm CNOOC launched wildcat drilling on Blocks BC-9 and BCD-10 in early-2023 on the back of 1.4 billion barrels of recoverable resource potential, with future discoveries set to double Gabonese oil production while de-risking deepwater exploration. Despite these developments, much of Gabon’s deepwater potential remains underexplored, highlighting a strategic opportunity for both active and potential players.

Increased hydrocarbon production in tandem with future deepwater discoveries are expected to support Gabon’s broader goals of creating a regional petroleum hub in Gabon. Strategically positioned on the West coast of Central Africa, Gabon is making strides towards enhancing oil and gas refining, storage and distribution capacity. Major infrastructure projects signal the country’s intention to become a petroleum hub. Notably, Perenco is advancing the development of the Cap Lopez LNG terminal in Gabon, targeting first production by 2026. Situated at the existing Cap Lopez oil terminal, the $2 billion project will introduce a FLNG vessel designed to monetize offshore gas reserves and reduce flaring. The FLNG vessel will feature a production capacity of 700,000 tons of LNG and 25,000 tons of LPG, supported by a storage capacity of 137,000 cubic meters. The project complements the Batanga LPG facility, which came online in December 2023 with a target production capacity of 15,000 tons of LPG annually. Beyond LNG and LPG, Gabon is working towards enhancing refining capacity with plans to expand its sole operating refinery – SOGARA – from 1.2 million tons to 1.5 million tons of crude. This expansion would enable the country to achieve self-sufficiency in refined petroleum products by 2030.

88 Energy Limited has secured license extension for 12 months from the Namibian Government, extending the PEL 93 First Renewal Exploration Period to 2 October 2026

During the extended period the company will aim datasets Integration to select drilling location, and complete an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for drilling. 

The PEL 93 is located in the Owambo Basin, onshore Namibia.

A farmout agreement with Monitor Exploration Limited for a joint venture gives 88 Energy Limited a 20% working interest in PEL 93. By way of an amendment on the agreement, the partners have introduced a new stage 1A work programme to target pre-drill de-risking.

The 2024 2D seismic data collected from an anticlinal structure -- Lead 9 -- spreading across 100 sq km has led to new insights to be unlocked from a gravity survey area. The partners have hence included on the programme a high-resolution gravity survey to focus on the southern area of PEL 93. The survey will be supplemented by radiometric data. 

This anticipation has been strengthened by similar findings from the Kavango West 1X exploration well where ReconAfrica is now all set to start drilling this month. 

Lead 9 is similar to Recon’s imminent Kavango West 1X well in that both show a very large and robust structural closure including the shallow clastic reservoirs, the deeper Otavi carbonate reservoir seen in Naingopo-1 and the deeper source rocks.

Monitor's statement read, “Our early results are pointing to something potentially significant in the southern area of PEL 93 in the Owambo Basin. With multiple datasets aligning and the prospect of even larger structures emerging, the Joint Venture is building momentum towards a drilling event and what could be a basin opening discovery with broad implications for all of Namibia given the significance in unlocking a major new hydrocarbon play.” 

The engineering, procurement, installation and commissioning work for Phase XI Deepwater Project of the West Delta Deep Marine (WDDM) concession has been vested on Petroleum Marine Services (PMS) by independent engineering consultancy Longitude Engineering

Longitude’s engineering scope comprises the detailed design of deep-water rigid jumpers, development of fabrication drawings, onshore and offshore handling procedures, offshore installation engineering, process and stress modelling, and key HSE studies and engineering workshops.

The Phase XI development of the Burullus gas field involves the tie-in of three subsea twin deep-water natural gas wells. The scope of work includes engineering, procurement, fabrication, installation, and commissioning support five subsea M-shape rigid jumpers, equipped with deep-water specialised connectors, multiphase gas meters, and sand detection systems.

Compact twin-well configurations will be installed, each with a subsea jumper span limited to approximately 25 meters in length. This will be placed in a brownfield environment adjacent to an existing live natural gas deep-water system, part of one of the largest deep-water natural gas networks globally.

A tie-in structure, namely “Tie-In Spool Base, TSB” designed to accommodate multiple jumpers within a single subsea module will offer enhanced production flexibility and enabling well allocation interchangeability.

Subsea control system components to support well operation and chemical injection. 

Located approximately 90 kilometres offshore Egypt, in the north-western Nile Delta region of the Mediterranean Sea, the WDDM concession is operated by Shell through its joint venture, Burullus Gas Company. The area includes 17 gas fields at water depths ranging from 300 to 1,200 meters.

“We are delighted to secure this contract following the success of our previous work on Phase X. The West Delta Deep Marine development is of major significance to Egypt’s oil and gas sector, and we remain committed to delivering the highest quality of service to PMS and, ultimately, to the operator,” said Daniel McGowan, Offshore Project Director at Longitude Engineering.

Longitude Engineering provides specialised engineering, design, and analysis consultancy services across various markets, including renewables, maritime, oil and gas, and infrastructure. The company’s expertise spans concept selection, Pre-FEED and FEED studies, marine operations engineering, and vessel design.

Eni has signed a production sharing contract with SONATRACH for development and exploration opportunities in the Zemoul El Kbar area, which is located in the Berkine Basin near the East of Hassi Messaoud 

This comes following Eni's win of the Reggane II block in partnership with PTTEP at the 2024 Algeria Bid Round.

Drawn in line with Algeria's hydrocarbon law n°19-13, the contract is valid up to 30 years, with an expansion scope for an additional 10 years. Backed by a seven-year window for research, the budget set for exploration and development activities amount to US$1.35bn, with US$110mn allocated to research investments. 

With the Zemoul El Kbar development, Algeria will see the integration of the latest digital solutions in operating, production optimisation practices, and reserves recovery. These advanced technologies will maximise asset valuations for the partners and equip Zemoul El Kbar to produce approximately 415 mn boe of which 9.3 bn cu/m will be at the end of the contractual period.

In addition, recourse to local content and subcontracting of national suppliers is privileged, within the frame of this contract. A three-year framework agreement between SONATRACH, Eni and ECU will advance skills and knowledge transfer to support SONATRACH employees. 

The partners also signed a gas agreement to support the hydrocarbons contract to enable the export of dry gas from the Zemoul El Kbar Exploitation Perimeter.

As part of production optimisation strategy, the Republic of Congo is advancing investments on infrastructure development

With aims to expand the container terminal at the Port of Pointe Noire, a €230mn in financing has been generated to onboard freight forwarding service Africa Global Logistics (AGL) for the project.

The new 750-meter quay – scheduled for completion by 2027 – will double the terminal’s capacity to 2.3 million containers annually and support the country’s growing oil and LNG exports.
The Pointe Noire project is being executed by AGL’s subsidiary Congo Terminal in collaboration with engineering firm China Road and Bridge Corporation. Backed by both international and Congolese banks, the €400mn platform will include 26 hectares of quayside, a dredged 17-meter-deep basin, and the installation of 16 gantries. It forms a key part of Congo’s strategy to boost hydrocarbon production to 500,000 barrels of oil per day and LNG output to 3 million tons per annum within five years.

In Angola, AGL also launched operations at its Lobito Terminal in March last year. The terminal – Angola’s second-largest port hub – handles over one million tons of bulk cargo and more than 100,000 20-ft equivalent unit containers annually, with 730 employees operating deepwater berths and modern equipment. The project comes at a pivotal time for Angola, which is preparing to bring several major energy developments online between 2025 and 2028. These include the Cabinda Oil Refinery in 2025, the Agogo Integrated West Hub development in late-2025, the Quiluma and Maboqueiro gas fields in 2026 and the Kaminho Deepwater Development in 2028.

Meanwhile, in Ivory Coast, AGL is playing a vital role in Phase 2 of the Baleine offshore development - West Africa’s first net-zero emissions project. In partnership with engineering firm Saipem, AGL began manufacturing critical subsea structures for the Baleine field in April 2024 at its Carena shipyard in Abidjan. The works include anchoring systems and underwater fixtures totaling over 200 tons, to be deployed in ultra-deep waters. AGL has mobilized 100 skilled local workers – including certified welders, painters and crane operators – reinforcing its commitment to local content, capacity building and sustainable energy infrastructure in Ivory Coast’s rapidly growing oil and gas sector.

AGL’s recent activities in Africa align with its broader vision to support the continent’s energy infrastructure. In addition to the Republic of Congo, Angola and Ivory Coast, the company is currently modernising the Walvis Bay terminal in Namibia while playing a key role in major energy logistics across Mauritania, Senegal and Mozambique. 

As Africa is zooming in on brownfield sites for maximum oil recovery, artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies are fuelling the industry's optimisation goals

Redifining operational efficiency by extending field life and maximising output, AI is set to move the oil and gas industry at a US$6.4bn market value by 2030.

As major operators increasingly adopt AI, global oilfield technology companies like Baker Hughes, Halliburton or SLB have opened bases in Africa. SLB's technology is backing several billion-dollar oil projects in Angola, and has introduced the Africa Performance Centre in Luanda this year. It has a strong presence in other regions of Africa as well.

Repsol has several developments underway in Libya, Algeria and Morocco and strives to bolster production across these markets. 

Enhanced oil recovery is currently witnessing a disruption as AI has unlocked access to large datasets which is unimaginable with traditional systems. This makes a huge difference for operators in taking the right decisions. With deep geological and production data in hand, reservoir management and pattern identification become much simpler. 

AI is now way past the experimental stage, and is being adopted on a policy level as well. Many African countries are streamlining policy to support EOR at legacy assets. Angola, for example, implemented its Incremental Production Initiative in 2024 which offers tax incentives to encourage reinvestments in mature oilfields. Energy major ExxonMobil made the first discovery – the Likembe-01 well - as part of the initiative in 2024, demonstrating the role policy plays in unlocking incremental resources. The African Union Commission also declared AI as a strategic priority for the continent in May 2025, citing the role machine-learning plays in transforming the continent’s development trajectory. 

These topics will drive conversations at the African Energy Week (AEW): Invest in African Energies 2025 that will be taking place from 29 September 29 to 3 October in Cape Town.