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Recourse to arbitration by Tullow Oil – Ghana’s largest crude producer, along with Dallas-based Kosmos Energy, through their equity stakes in the Jubilee and Tweneboa-Enyenra-Ntomme (Ten) fields – underlines a number of difficult issues facing the London (LSE)- and Ghana Stock Exchange-listed company.

 London-listed Tullow Oil reported a rise in revenues and profits in its full-year results issued in early March and sought to focus attention on its prospects in Ghana and Kenya instead of its high levels of debt and ongoing litigation issues. African Energy takes a closer look at Tullow’s prospects for 2023 and beyond.

Savannah Energy has vowed to pursue all its legal options – including arbitration at the ICA in Paris – after Mahamat Idriss Déby’s ‘transitional’ government nationalised the upstream oil assets the UK independent had acquired from ExxonMobil in December.

In the run up to elections, president-elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu sought to burnish his pro-business credentials by offering everything from taking Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Ltd (NNPCL) beyond corporatisation to privatisation, to cutting fuel subsidies in reforms that would bring greater coherence to public finances.

The BP-Eni joint venture has kickstarted the process of contract awards on the offshore Agogo oil scheme, with some $7.8bn signed to date following a final investment decision.

Political, social and legal opposition to Eni’s multi-billion-dollar upstream gas development deal is driven by an alliance of fief holders who may not be able to stop the deal, but could make it harder and more expensive to complete. The opposition reflects continuing dysfunction, raising the prospect of more blockades and disruption, writes Mohamed Eljarh*, with John Hamilton.

National Oil Corporation has relaunched its growth-oriented upstream strategy and is encouraging international companies to help Libya achieve the 2m b/d crude oil production target mooted for at least 15 years. Eni’s recent huge gas development agreement with NOC suggests the market’s need for Libyan hydrocarbons has trumped more pessimistic assessments of the government’s capabilities, but widespread political, social and legal opposition to the Italian deal is a reminder that, while huge growth in oil and gas production is technically feasible, developments remain prey to Libya’s volatile politics.

A Lagos court ruling against the leadership of ambitious independent oil and gas company Seplat could reinforce concerns that, even with an apparently pro-business president-elect, Nigeria may not prove an easy market for international oil companies.

Algerian state giant Sonatrach has been courting international oil companies to capitalise on the potential to ramp up deliveries to Europe, but African Energy’s soundings suggest there are plenty of reasons for caution, despite the improved investment climate since hydrocarbons sector reforms were unveiled.

West Africa-focused oil and gas independent Afentra has provided an update on its planned acquisition of 4% stakes in offshore Angola blocks 3/05 and 3/05A from Croatia’s Ina-Indstrija Nafte (Ina) plus the status of its 20% acquisition in Block 3/05 from state-owned Sociedade Nacional de Combustíveis de Angola (Sonangol).

Somalia has been accused of circulating an unofficial maritime map that includes offshore blocks that are claimed by Yemen.

Negotiations with Shell and Equinor for the estimated $30bn Lindi liquefied natural gas (LNG) project (also known as Tanzania LNG) have been completed, and contracts are being written up, energy minister January Makamba said on 6 March.

The replacement of long-serving oil minister Gabriel Obiang Lima with Antonio Oburu Ondo appears to have had an immediate impact, with block entries announced on 20 February for two experienced – but relatively small – independents into Equatorial Guinea’s offshore. Further developments are awaited in the ‘last enclave for American Big Oil in Africa’, writes James Gavin with Our Central Africa Correspondent.

Democratic Republic of Congo’s huge resource base, and desperate need to cater for one of the world’s fastest-growing populations, are exciting potential investors, encouraged by President Félix Tshisekedi’s claims to be presiding over improved governance. But claims to significant progress are questionable as a controversial presidential election beckons, conflict stalks eastern DRC and criminality dogs efforts to overhaul power and other sectors, write François Misser and Jon Marks.

Shell has underlined Mauritania’s rising profile by signing a production sharing contract for offshore Block C2. While one supermajor plans to start initial exploration, BP and partners have agreed their preferred development concept for phase two of the Mauritania/Senegal Greater Tortue Ahmeyim integrated LNG project – finally moving that scheme towards a final investment decision, write James Gavin and Marc Howard.