North Africa

Libya launched its latest licensing round in March 2025, offering 22 onshore and offshore exploration blocks across the Sirte, Murzuq and Ghadames basins. The licensing round has already drawn interest from 37 prospective companies, with contracts with successful bidders expected to be signed by the end of the year. Representing the country's first licensing round since 2011, the initiative comes as Libya seeks to increase production to two million barrels per day. Algeria awarded five licenses in June 2025 as part of its latest oil and gas bid round. Launched in November 2024, the bid round featured sic onshore blocks for competitive bidding and falls part of a broader multi-year licensing strategy aimed at attracting global investment in exploration opportunities. The blocks span five basins and represents a core component of the country's strategy to invest up to $50 billion into hydrocarbon projects over the next four years. Egypt launched a new bid round in March 2025, comprising 12 investment opportunities. The bid round includes 10 offshore blocks in the Mediterranean Sea and two onshore blocks in the Nile Delta region and comes as the country intensifies exploration across undeveloped acreage. 

West Africa

Sierra Leone is preparing to launch a new licensing round in 2025 as part of its drive to fast-track exploration and become an oil-producing nation. The country currently has around 50 offshore blocks available for direct negotiation, spanning 63,000 km² and backed by a proven petroleum system. The upcoming licensing round will further entice spending. Nigeria is set to launch a new oil and gas licensing round in 2025, focusing on undeveloped fields. The upcoming round follows the successful conclusion of a 2024 tender, whereby 25 companies were awarded Petroleum Prospecting Licenses. Liberia also initiated a Direct Negotiation Licensing Round in 2024, with 29 offshore blocks available for investment in the Liberia and Harper basins. The licensing round seeks to drive new investment in the country's frontier basins and is supported by an extensive library of multi-client subsurface data, including over 24,000 kilometers of 2D seismic data and more than 26,000 km² of 3D seismic data.

East Africa

Tanzania is preparing to offer new oil and gas exploration opportunities with a licensing round launching in 2025. A total of 26 blocks will be made available, including three blocks in Lake Tanganyika and 23 in the Indian Ocean. The country's upstream regulator the Petroleum Upstream Regulatory Authority has already identified the blocks and compiled the necessary data for the process. Following government approval for the Model Production Sharing Agreement, the licensing round will be launched. The round represents the first in more than ten years. Additionally, Kenya is expected to launch its inaugural oil and gas licensing round in September 2025, offering ten blocks for exploration. The blocks were selected using geoscientific data to ensure a transparent allocation process. The licensing round is supported by comprehensive seismic surveys and geological reports, thereby supporting future exploration activities. Primary targets include the Lamu and Anza basins, both of which are known for their hydrocarbon potential. Uganda is also set to launch a licensing round during the 2025/2026 fiscal year, offering new areas for oil and gas exploration.

Southern Africa

Part of its six-year licensing strategy, Angola is expected to launch its next licensing round in 2025, offering ten blocks for exploration in the offshore Kwanza and Benguela basins. The bid round follows the successful conclusion of a 2023 tender, whereby nine companies qualified as operators and five qualified as non-operators. Namibia rolled out an open-door licensing system in 2024 to address its backlog of applications and streamline procedures. The system comes as the country experiences a surge in exploration interest following major discoveries made since 2022.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Chamber.