Double trouble for West African upstream
Corporate carbon goals and local regulatory regimes will determine whether the region’s deepwater sector can attract renewed interest from investors
West Africa saw a series of divestments and delays or cancellations to oil and gas projects last year following Covid disruptions and the collapse in oil and gas prices. But the global contraction in the E&P sector arguably only exacerbated the recent trend in the region, where international appetite for greenfield projects has dried up in the last few years—particularly in Nigeria, where yet another deadline for the country’s long-awaited Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) is about to expire. Funding and carbon intensity The financial market which might fund renewed West African efforts is facing growing climate and transition pressures, says Julian Mylchreest, executive vice-chairman at Ban
Also in this section
10 March 2026
By shutting the Strait of Hormuz, Iran has cut exports of distillate-rich Middle Eastern crude, jet fuel and diesel, and is holding the energy market hostage
10 March 2026
Eni’s director for global gas and LNG portfolio, Cristian Signoretto, discusses how demand will respond to rising LNG supply, and how the company is expanding its own gas and LNG operations through disciplined, capital-efficient investments
9 March 2026
Petroleum Economist analysis sees increases in output from Saudi Arabia, Venezuela and Kazakhstan among others before region’s murky descent
9 March 2026
Energy sanctions are becoming an increasingly prominent tool of US foreign policy, with the country’s growth in oil and gas production allowing it to impose pressure on rivals without jeopardising its own energy security or that of its allies, argues Matthew McManus, a visiting fellow at the National Center for Energy Analytics






