Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire
Cote d’Ivoire well-positioned for upstream development
Potential ‘world-class find’ at Baleine bodes well for the West African country’s prospects
Italian IOC Eni's “major discovery” at Baleine this summer was the first such find in Cote d’Ivoire for 20 years. And both Baleine and the West African country as a whole have a number of advantages that could aid development. Baleine could be a “world-class find”, consultancy Welligence Energy Analytics says, adding that it shows “frontier exploration offshore sub-Saharan Africa is not dead... the region can compete in the search for advantaged barrels”. Eni’s deepwater discovery, and even its desire to explore, is evidence of its continued commitment to the region. This is in contrast to majors such as ExxonMobil and Chevron, which are looking to divest West African assets as part of a rep
Also in this section
8 January 2026
Indonesia and Malaysia are at the dawn of breathtaking digital capabilities. Their energy infrastructure must keep up with their ambitions
8 January 2026
The next five years will be critical for the North Sea, and it will be policy not geology that will decide the basin’s future
8 January 2026
The region’s access to versatile feedstock, combined with policy support, is setting it up to meet growing demand both at home and abroad
7 January 2026
No longer can the energy source be considered a sidekick to oil in the Middle East and neither should it step aside for less convincing alternatives
