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TotalEnergies has signed a memorandum of understanding with Sonatrach on further developing natural gas resources in the Timimoun region, where the French major has existing interests, while an LNG supply contract has been extended by another year.

Sonatrach has signed a rare heads of agreement with a smaller company, Sweden’s Tethys Oil.

London-listed Energean has taken on the operatorship of the Lixus and Rissana licence areas, alongside partners Chariot and state-owned Onhym

Some headline elements of the now ruling Parti Africain du Sénégal, pour l’Ethique et la Fraternité (Pastef les Patriotes)’s policy were presented during the election campaign, which included the following commitments:

Making the most of hydrocarbon resources and tackling perceived governance abuses are among the hot dossiers at the top of incoming President Bassirou Diomaye Faye and Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko’s agenda. Policy-makers and investors need to be acutely aware that Senegal is waiting on radical change from its new Pastef government, write Waly Dione Faye and Jon Marks.

The hydrocarbons-focused Africa Energy Bank’s promoters Afreximbank and the African Petroleum Producers Organisation are looking to a start-up this year for an institution with an initial capital base of $5bn.

SDX Energy has spudded the Beni Malek-2 (BMK-2) well in the Rharb Basin. The London AIM-listed company has reported an ‘immediate and increasing’ local demand for its gas in Morocco.

The estimated $1bn EPC deal for the Banda and Tevet fields, which hold combined estimated reserves of 2.2tcf, is the first involvement by Egyptian players in Mauritania’s upstream and marks the revival of Nouakchott’s long-held plans to supply gas to its flagship Banda Duale power plant.

Savannah Energy has signed share purchase agreements (SPAs) with Sinopec and its local partner Jagal to acquire the 49% remaining interest in Sinopec International Petroleum Exploration and Production Company Nigeria Ltd (Sipec). Sipec’s principal asset is a 49% non-operated stake in the Stubb Creek oil and gas field in Akwa Ibom state.

Privately-held United States junior Liberty Petroleum has signed three production-sharing agreements (PSAs) with the Somali federal government for offshore blocks 131, 190, and 206.

Eni has closed the sale of some of its Republic of Congo (RoC) upstream assets to indie Perenco. No specifics of the acreage acquired were detailed. Sale of the assets did not detract from RoC being “at the core” of its strategy, Eni said, but instead reflected a ‘refocus’ on major developments.

An onshore exploration block awarded on 8 February has already generated controversy after campaigning environmental group Greenpeace said Brazzaville’s award of rights in the Conkouati-Douli National Park was a violation of a 1999 presidential decree that forbade oil activity in the area.

The Zanzibari Ministry of Blue Economy and Fisheries launched its first oil and gas licensing round on 20 March. Bidders are being sought for eight offshore blocks to the east of Unguja and Pemba islands.

Prospects are improving for the introduction of carbon capture and storage into gas production projects as the Egyptian authorities have shifted to a more positive stance on CCS technology, encouraged by their financial backers in the Gulf.

A deal between Abu Dhabi giant Adnoc and UK major BP to coinvest in Egyptian gas assets highlights how wealthy Gulf national oil companies are actively seeking potentially highly lucrative lower-carbon expansion opportunities across Africa, where NOCs from Qatar and Kuwait are among those also exploring opportunities, writes James Gavin.