Côte d'Ivoire's deep ambitions
It's got the fiscal terms and even the domestic power market. Now Côte d'Ivoire just needs a major hydrocarbon find
Côte d'Ivoire has failed to match the lustre of neighbouring Ghana in terms of interest in oil and gas exploration. Much of the country's most promising acreage is in deep or ultra-deep water, which as nations across West Africa have found out in recent years, is viewed as too expensive for the international oil companies with the skills and clout needed to develop them, given their drained financial resources and the cheaper prospects on offer elsewhere. The assertion made in mid-2016 by Ibrahima Diaby, managing director of state oil firm Petroci, that the country aimed to double oil and gas production by 2020 always looked ambitious. Diaby's target of some 200,000 barrels of oil equivalent
Also in this section
9 January 2026
OPEC+ remains on track as output falls, with only Gabon failing to hit its output targets in December, although Kazakhstan’s compliance was involuntary
9 January 2026
The Latin American producer’s crude prospects rely on a multi-pronged approach where even the relatively easy wins will take considerable time, effort and cost
9 January 2026
While many forecasters are reasserting the importance of oil and gas, petrostates should be under no illusion things are changing, and faster than they might think
8 January 2026
Indonesia and Malaysia are at the dawn of breathtaking digital capabilities. Their energy infrastructure must keep up with their ambitions
