By: Mohamed Jalloh
With the 2023 edition of African Energy Week being held this 16-18 October in Cape Town, South Africa, Sierra Leone is set to cement and and finalize oil and gas exploration deals and prepares to unlock opportunities in the sector after launching its fifth licensing round last year to kick start new exploration with operators.
The African Energy Chamber interview with Foday B. L. Mansaray, Director General of the Petroleum Directorate of Sierra Leone, gives an insight on the country’s latest oil and gas developments.
Mr Mansaray reveals the proactive moves by the Bio led government in terms attracting investments and promoting opportunities within Sierra Leone.
“We are not just waiting for investments to come to us – we are going where they are. We had very fruitful meetings and conversations with companies in Qatar around natural gas, and we will be chatting with two Italian IOCs. The industry is competitive and we need to be actively seeking investors”, he pointed out.
Mr Mansaray said Sierra Leone is closing the licensing round around the time of African Energy Week (AEW) and plans to sign the agreements during the event.
“We are currently speaking to one supermajor and we want AEW to be the platform where we make a huge announcement. With the Nigerian company that is already in the basin, it will start drilling a wildcat and appraisal well later this year, so we also plan to announce the size and scope of its discovery at AEW”,Mr Mansaray explained.
“We have recently made a discovery with a small-to-medium upstream company and are looking for companies willing to develop that to meet our in-country energy needs. We have also signed an MoU for the development of the Nigeria-Morocco-Niger Gas Pipeline for us to tap into – as well as feed into – that pipeline to meet our demands. In the downstream sector, we are ensuring fuel security with the development of more pipes to import more fuels. The key area that will give us energy independence is exploration”, the director general explains.
According to Mr Mansaray,the licensing round closes at the end of September and has been an excellent round so far, with very strong interest from majors, IOCs and independents that have already looked at our data and are conducting data and financial evaluation.
“We have 56 graticules and 63,000 ㎢ in area on offer. We also have hydrocarbon-rich, ultra-deep basins on offer through direct negotiations. We want technically-sound companies to partner with – those that can drill and have the capability to progress our exploration agenda. Our entire basin is covered with 3D and 2D data, hence there is a strong foundation for companies to advance and fast-track exploration”, he stated.
It should be noted that Sierra Leone is a still a nation in its infancy and the petroleum directorate wants to get to a stage where it can commercialize our oil and gas reserves.
“Over the past years, we have managed to streamline the process for application to conduct exploration works. So far, we have a Nigerian independent in our basin which – in its first evaluation conducted last year – has highlighted gas prospects. With the energy transition taking center stage, having gas in our energy mix will be crucial in driving energy security and sustainability”, he noted.
In the midst of all the energy agreements, Sierra Leone hopes to prioritize local content and skills development as its energy sector develops
“Our local content laws are very strong and the area is a very important aspect regarding how we want to develop our industry. We have existing Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with Equatorial Guinea, The Gambia and Ghana. Last year, we sent 18 people for training in Ghana from different departments. We want to capacitate local content into our sector and ensure that we have as many qualified Sierra Leoneans as possible wherever there is a gap. We also want to focus on African local content with our neighbors because local content is key to driving industry growth. We have many programs and training that we offer around petroleum engineering and geology”,Mr Mansaray explains.
