News

Africa’s Most Interesting Untapped Oil Play

Published

5 years ago

May 11, 2021

When writing the article on this year’s Top Oil Wildcats, one of the hottest candidates had to be dropped out of the list. Not because the prospect turned out to be sub-commercial, far from it, it remains one of Africa’s most interesting untapped plays, potentially opening up a new country with no previous exposure to the world of energy. As Senegal and Mauritania started to break their way onto the energy maps of Western Africa, Guinea Bissau has remained a relative outlier. At the same time it needs to be pointed out that lack of officially recognized discoveries does not necessarily mean lack of hydrocarbons, as can be attested by the Atum prospect. Atum remains one of the hottest plays in offshore Africa, an overlooked gem that would only need a little bit of political stability to shine.

Recent big discoveries in Senegal’s offshore, such as FAN-1 and SNE (the latter being the largest oil discovery globally in 2014), shortly thereafter followed by new plays in Mauritania’s offshore such as Orca, have unearthed an untapped frontier area that is rich in both oil and gas. Over the past decade Mauritania and Senegal have advanced quite well in terms of appraising their offshore territory, however the southern flank of the MSGBC Basin (short for Mauritania, Senegal, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau and Guinea-Conakry) has been lagging behind. The root causes of this are institutional, although Guinea Bissau adopted a new Petroleum Law in 2014, its implementation was never really tested in real life. In countries where peaceful handover of power is still a questionable concept, the anticipation of hydrocarbon discoveries to come, coupled with a heightened sense of political infighting, has created a cumbersome challenge.

The hydrocarbon story of Guinea Bissau is a fairly standard one for a small West African nation.

The tiny country has no commercial discoveries up to date, with official 2P reserves estimated at 12-13 million barrels (equivalent to the Sinapa oil discovery within Block 02). The last offshore wildcat that Bissau had seen dates back to 2007 when the UK-based firm Premier Oil spudded the Eirozes-1 well in the Esperança block. Drilled into a total depth of 2250 metres in water depth of 100 metres, the well turned out to be dry. This failure has prompted Premier Oil to leave Guinea Bissau’s offshore in December 2007 – thereafter Svenska Petroleum assumed operatorship over the block. Whilst the Atum prospect, located farther out in deeper waters, has been known for quite some time already, financial issues of license-holding firms and the general lack of appetite for genuine frontier drilling has kept the ambition down.

The Atum prospect is located in the westernmost part of Block 02, partially spilling over into Block 04. It is abutted from the left by the Anchova prospect and from the right by the Sardinha prospect (you have guessed it right, the fishy concept extends to Atum, too, the name of the blocks means “tuna”). What is new about the Atum prospect? First and foremost, Atum is assumed to become Guinea Bissau’s first-ever deepwater well. Second, Atum is an analogue of Senegal’s SNE-1: it, too, is a shelf-edge play, in similar water depths (900 metres vs 1100 metres) and targeting the same Upper Albian deposits. The unrisked prospective resources of Atum are assessed at 471 MMbbls, i.e. very similar to those of SNE (563 MMbbls). Should the prospective drillers also aim for the Anchova prospect next to Atum, the combined reserves total would increase to 568MMbbls.

Atum has up to now suffered from one main deficiency – lack of a financially robust oil major. Throughout the 2010s, the Swedish Svenska Petroleum was seeking to farm out interests in Blocks 02 and 04A to fund its ambitious drilling plans. Struggling to go at it completely alone, Svenska reached an agreement in August 2019 with the Chinese CNOOC. CNOOC was to purchase 55.55% of the Sinapa and Esperança license blocks (i.e. Block 2 and Blocks 4A/5A) for the duration of the exploration phase, to be converted into a regular 50% participating interest should the project be deemed commercially viable.

The transaction was assumed to be concluded at some point in Q3 2019, once all the authorities of Guinea Bissau provide all regulatory approvals – needless to say, at that point (just as now) Block 02 was the most promising offshore play that Bissau had. Upon receiving all required approvals, drilling the Atum prospect in Block 02 was supposed to take place in Q1 2020, an ambition that never materialized.

Domestic political turmoil is also one of the main reasons underlying Guinea Bissau’s inability to move swiftly enough on regulatory approvals. For a brief period in early 2020 the West African nation had two presidents simultaneously, pitting the camp of Umaro Embaló, the winner of the presidential elections, and Domingos Simoes who refused to acknowledge the results of the ballot and had Cipriano Cassama elected as interim president. It was the President that was bound to approve CNOOC’s farm-in into Block 02 of Guinea Bissau’s offshore and with both parties fully focused on tripping up political opponents rather than kickstarting the country’s oil and gas sector, the end result was worse than anybody could have forethought.

Against this background, not only did CNOOC quit the intended deal, Svenska Petroleum sold all of its Guinea Bissau acreage (78.57% in Blocks 02, 04A and 05A) to the Norwegian PetroNor in November 2020. It seems likely that PetroNor, joined by the embattled Australian company FAR (21.42% interest), would also prefer to have a go at Atum with a heavy-hitting partner. The acreage license covering exploration works in Block 02 was extended by further 3 years into 2023, therefore the road is clear for interested parties. With this, the spudding of the Atum-1 wildcat is most likely to take place in 2022.

Katona writes for Oilprice.com

News

11 Jostle For $100,000 As Nigeria Prize For Literature Unveils 2026 Poetry Longlist

Published

4 days ago

July 27, 2026

The Tide

Eleven outstanding poetry collections are now in the race for the $100,000 Nigeria Prize for Literature, arguably Africa’s biggest and most prestigious literary prize.

The 11 collections were selected from a total of 223 entries received for this year’s competition.

Chairman of the Advisory Board for the Prize, Prof. Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo, who announced the longlist, said the emergence of the 11 collections marks a significant milestone in this year’s competition and reflects the exceptional quality, creativity and diversity of contemporary Nigerian poetry.

According to her, the longlisted titles, arranged in alphabetical order, are: Adult Love by Tanure Ojaide; Bakandimiya by Saddiq Dzukogi; Black Passport by Paul Akpomuje; 2000 Blacks by Ajibola Tolase; Ceremony For The Nameless by Theresa Lola; Corpus: Animistic Verses by Ayo Oyeku; and Floral’s Love Colony by Tares Oburumu.

Other successful entries are, The Origin of Wounds by Malik Gbolahan; The Years of Blood by Adebayo Agarau; Unbind Me Now by James Ugwu Eze; and Why Does God Need a Gun by Ogaga Ifowodo.

Prof. Adimora-Ezeigbo described the announcement as an important stage in the 2026 edition of the prize.

She noted that the collections demonstrate the remarkable capacity of poetry to illuminate human experience through thoughtful reflection, cultural memory and artistic expression.

According to her, the works revisit history while interrogating dominant historical narratives and exposing the forces that shape collective identities and social relations.

She stated that despite their varied emphases, the books share a commitment to exploring the endurance of individuals and communities in the face of violence, oppression and social fragmentation.

On style and language, Prof. Adimora-Ezeigbo said the books display an impressive diversity of poetic techniques marked by lyrical intensity, symbolic depth and artistic innovation.

“Many employ densely poetic, allegorical, and elegiac modes that invite multiple layers of interpretation, while others draw extensively on folklore, oral traditions, and contemporary realities to create a compelling fusion of past and present. Their language is generally fluid, evocative, and aesthetically refined, relying on vivid imagery, emotional resonance, and intellectual sophistication to communicate complex ideas. These works demonstrate how poetic language can illuminate social realities; challenge established perspectives and give voice to both individual and collective experiences.

“The next stage will demand a closer reading of each work, with attention to language, form, originality and lasting literary value,” she stated.

The Board chairman commended the judges for their painstaking work and reaffirmed the Advisory Board’s commitment to a credible process, literary excellence and the promotion of a strong reading culture.

With the announcement of the 11-title longlist, the competition now moves to the next phase, with a shortlist of three expected in August and the winner to be announced in October.

Sponsored by the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG), The Nigeria Prize for Literature carries a cash award of $100,000 for the author of the winning book.

Now in its 22nd year, the prize rotates annually across four genres – prose fiction, poetry, drama and children’s literature – with the 2026 edition devoted to poetry.

News

RSG Hails NMA’s Role In Strengthening Healthcare Delivery

Published

4 days ago

July 27, 2026

The Tide

The Rivers State Government has applauded the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Rivers State Branch, for its steadfast dedication to advancing medical excellence and contributing significantly to healthcare development in the state and the country at large.

Speaking at the 2026 Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference of the NMA held in Port Harcourt last Wednesday, the Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Dagogo Wokoma, described the association as a vital partner in the quest to improve healthcare delivery and outcomes.

Wokoma, according to a statement by the Head of Information and Public Relations Unit in his office, Julian Masi, noted that the NMA’s sustained advocacy for professional standards and quality medical practice has continued to impact positively on the healthcare sector and national development.

He said the conference theme, “Medical Practice in Nigeria: The Past, the Present and Quo Vadis,” offers a valuable platform for stakeholders to evaluate the progress made in the health sector, examine present realities, and develop practical solutions for future challenges.

He paid tribute to Nigerian doctors and other healthcare professionals for their sacrifices and unwavering commitment to service despite the challenges confronting the sector.

“We deeply appreciate the immense sacrifices made daily by Nigerian doctors and other healthcare professionals. In the face of numerous challenges, they continue to demonstrate exceptional resilience, professionalism, dedication and commitment to saving lives. Their contributions remain critical to national development,” he said.

In her keynote address, the immediate past Commissioner for Health, Prof. Adaeze C. Oreh, called on participants to critically examine the current state of medical practice in Nigeria and explore innovative approaches that will address emerging healthcare challenges in line with the conference theme.

Earlier, the Chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association, Rivers State Branch, Dr. (Prof.) Annabel Ureh Oparaodu, expressed gratitude to Governor Siminialayi Fubara for his continued support for the medical profession in Rivers State.

She urged delegates to maximize the opportunities provided by the conference through active engagement and knowledge sharing.

Highlights of the event included the commissioning of the Nigerian Medical Association Doctors’ Lodge and the NMA Water Factory, initiatives designed to improve members’ welfare and promote sustainability within the association.

News

NPC Begins Digital Birth, Death Registration In Rivers

Published

4 days ago

July 27, 2026

The Tide

The National Population Commission (NPC) has announced the commencement of a nationwide digital registration of births and deaths in Rivers State under the Electronic Civil Registration and Vital Statistics, E-CRVS, System, using the new VitalReg platform.

Federal Commissioner, NPC, Rivers State, Prof. Itotenaan Henry Ogiri, announced said this recently during a press briefing in his Port Harcourt office.

Ogiri said the full digital registration of births and deaths took effect nationwide on July 1, 2026, and is now being implemented across Rivers’ 23 Local Government Areas as part of the Commission’s rollout in the 36 States of the Federation and the FCT.

“Today’s announcement marks a significant milestone in Nigeria’s journey towards a modern, technology-driven civil registration system,

“It reflects the Commission’s commitment to ensuring that every birth and every death occurring in our country is accurately captured through a secure, efficient and digitally enabled platform,” he said.

The Federal Commissioner noted that while Nigeria records an estimated five million births annually, coverage remains low.

“Birth registration currently stands at about 57%, while death registration is below 20% nationwide.

“These gaps underscore the urgent need for a more efficient and accessible registration system,” he stated.

To address this, he said the commission has established 4,011 functional registration centres across the 774 LGAs, with plans to expand to about 8,000 centres nationwide.

According to him, in Rivers State, structures have been put in place and personnel are working with health facilities, LGAs and community stakeholders to ensure accessibility.

Ogiri explained that the VitalReg platform offers faster registration, 24-hour access, automated data validation for accuracy, reduced paperwork and waiting time, enhanced record security, and a stronger national database to support other government information systems.

He added that the platform would integrate seamlessly with Nigeria’s national digital identity framework, including the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to improve coordination and service delivery.

“The initiative builds on the launch of the E-CRVS System and the inauguration of the National Coordination Committee on CRVS by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on November 8, 2023.

“It also aligns with the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda on digital transformation and transparency,” he said.

The NPC Commissioner stressed that success depends on partnerships and public participation and listed key collaborators as ALGON, NIMC, UNICEF and Barnksforte Technologies Limited.

“In Rivers State, we will continue to work closely with the State Government, Local Government Councils, healthcare providers, traditional institutions, religious organisations, development partners, civil society organisations and the media to ensure that no child or family is left behind,” he said.

The commissioner called on parents, guardians, healthcare workers and community leaders to ensure prompt registration of every birth and death, noting that a complete civil registration system strengthens governance and supports sustainable development.

He reassured the public that birth registration and birth notification services remain highly subsidised, though specialised administrative services such as record modification, certificate reissuance, attestations and verification will attract approved charges to support system sustainability.

Ogiri appreciated the Rivers State Government for its support, and commended NPC staff in the State, as well as development partners, LGAs, healthcare institutions, traditional and religious leaders for advancing civil registration in the state.

He also urged the media to continue to amplify the message “that every birth counts, every death matters and every Nigerian deserves a legal identity.”

“As we commence this new chapter, let us all work together to build a civil registration system that is modern, inclusive and trusted by all,” Ogiri concluded.