Offshore operators and regulators across Africa reported a range of developments in recent weeks, from new oil volumes and future drilling plans to production milestones and proposed licensing reforms. The latest updates span key projects offshore Gabon, Cameroon and Angola.

Gabon: BW Energy advances Dussafu development after appraisal drilling success

BW Energy and its partners will proceed with two new production wells on the Dussafu Field offshore Gabon, according to the company’s latest quarterly update.

This follows successes from appraisal drilling at the planned locations, with both wells delivering commercial volumes estimated at 8-9 MMbbl combined.

The 10P2 appraisal well encountered a 30-m oil column in a good-quality Gamba reservoir, at a depth consistent with the pre-drill prediction.

Wireline logging and pressure testing suggested that a production well, drilled from the MaBoMo platform, could generate an initial 5,000 b/d-plus, with payback in less than one year.

The 10P1 appraisal well penetrated a 16-m oil column in a separate oil accumulation, again in a good-quality reservoir.

The first of the two producers will be drilled as part of the current MaBoMo Phase 2 campaign, which is on schedule for first oil early next year.

“Our decision to drill the appraisal wells ahead of the production wells has paid off. We have proved additional volumes and can add at least one high-value, fast-track well with a short pay-back time to the current program," BW Energy CEO Carl Arnet said. “With our recent license extension, we have significant runway to continue growing production in this highly prospective area for years to come.”

The drilling rig is presently heading to the MaBoMo facility, and will be used initially to perform a workover to replace the electrical submersible pump on one of the Hibiscus wells. It will then drill the four MaBoMo Phase 2 production wells, followed by a fifth well at the 10P2 location.

Each well should produce around 5,000 b/d initially, with MaBoMo Phase 2 eventually adding up to 20,000 b/d.

The campaign will be followed by a further infill well on the Tortue Field elsewhere on the Dussafu license and then the Bourdon Phase 1 development, with first oil expected in first-quarter 2028.

Also in 2028, BW Energy plans Walt Whitman and further Bourdon area appraisal drilling, with successful results likely to trigger further development activity. These projects are designed to support the company’s long-term target of 30-45,000 bbl/d from the license.

The other partners are Panoro Energy and Gabon Oil Co.

Cameroon: Tower Resources targets 2027 NJOM-3 well

Elsewhere in West Africa, Cameroon’s Ministry of Mines, Industry and Technological Development has issued documentation covering a one-year extension to the initial exploration period of Tower Resources’ offshore Thali license, according to an Oct. 5 company update.

It now runs through Oct. 2, 2027.

The next anticipated milestones are formal approval by the Ministry and completion of Tower’s farm-out of a 42.5% interest in the license to Prime Global Energies.

Tower will now look to advance a contract for a rig to drill the NJOM-3 well on the Njonji structure, targeting a spud date in second-quarter 2027.

The well will test reservoirs encountered by prior discovery wells drilled on the structure, and additional reservoirs that are indicated on 3D seismic, but not so far confirmed by drilling.

If the NJOM-3 well meets expectations, Tower plans to suspend it and return in 2028 to drill further production wells. Its goal is to start production with multiple wells simultaneously through a mobile oil production unit.

Angola: Azule Energy achieves record production rate at Agogo FPSO

Offshore Angola, Azule Energy has achieved its highest production rate to date from the Agogo FPSO of 80.15 MMbbl/d.

This follows the tie-in of early production wells and various ongoing production optimization initiatives.

Angola plans faster licensing process, opens path for 100+ blocks

Angola plans to accelerate oil and gas licensing as part of a new 25-year hydrocarbons strategy designed to attract investment and boost production, Reuters reported. The government intends to replace multi-year licensing rounds with a faster concession process, targeting approvals within three months instead of the current six months. More than 100 blocks, primarily onshore, could be opened once the strategy is approved later this year.

According to ANPG (National Agency for Petroleum, Gas and Biofuels), the new framework will tailor fiscal and contractual terms to the risk profile of each opportunity, differentiating between mature fields, marginal assets, onshore acreage, and deepwater blocks. Officials say the approach is intended to encourage exploration drilling, sustain investment and support long-term growth in Angola's oil production, which currently stands at about 1 MMbbl/d.