Sierra Leone to Showcase Offshore Oil and Gas Opportunities at African Energy Week 2026

Sierra Leone is set to take center stage at African Energy Week 2026, where the country's offshore oil and gas opportunities will be showcased to global investors. The Petroleum Directorate of Sierra Leone (PDSL) will participate in a series of upstream discussions and technical sessions during the event, which will take place in Cape Town from October 12-16. This move is part of Sierra Leone's efforts to convert growing international interest in its offshore basin into exploration commitments and investment.

PDSL Director General Foday Mansaray will lead Sierra Leone's upstream investment push at African Energy Week 2026. He will participate in the Upstream E&P Forum on October 13, alongside senior exploration leaders from TotalEnergies, Apus Energy, Woodside Energy, and Chevron. The session, titled "Africa's Next Exploration Cycle," will provide Sierra Leone with an opportunity to position its offshore prospects within the wider conversation about Africa's next generation of exploration opportunities.

On the same day, Sierra Leone will receive a dedicated spotlight during "The Drill Room – Oil and Gas Investment Opportunities in Sierra Leone." PDSL Petroleum Geoscientist Ishmael Momoh will deliver an above-ground information and technical showcase focused specifically on the country's oil and gas investment opportunities. This session aims to give prospective investors a closer look at Sierra Leone's petroleum sector, geological potential, and the technical information available to companies considering entry into the basin.

Mansaray will continue Sierra Leone's engagement on October 14, when he participates in an invitation-only NOC and IOC roundtable. The closed-door discussion will focus on collaboration between governments, national oil companies, international operators, and independents to accelerate upstream development. This event provides a platform for Sierra Leone to engage with potential investors and operators, and to promote its upstream proposition internationally.

Sierra Leone's offshore basin has recorded discoveries, including Venus-B1, Mercury-1, Jupiter-1, and Savannah-1X, but remains comparatively underexplored. The government has increasingly promoted the combination of existing discoveries and untapped acreage as an opportunity for companies willing to invest in frontier exploration. This approach aims to attract international and independent players to the country's expanding petroleum landscape.

International and independent players, including Eni, Shell, Marginal Energy, and FA Oil, have featured in Sierra Leone's expanding petroleum landscape. The government seeks to build a stronger pipeline of exploration activity, and Africa Energy Partners (AEP) has played a prominent role in that investment drive. As a strategic partner to PDSL, AEP has worked to promote Sierra Leone's upstream proposition internationally and connect the Directorate with potential investors and operators.

At African Energy Week 2026, AEP will support PDSL and promote Sierra Leone's upstream investment proposition to the international market. The company will encourage operators, investors, and other industry stakeholders to engage with its team on Sierra Leone's current upstream opportunities and the technical data available for evaluating the basin. With TGS serving as a data provider to Sierra Leone, companies evaluating the basin have access to an extensive portfolio of subsurface data to support their assessment of the country's offshore exploration potential.

Key points

• Sierra Leone will showcase its offshore oil and gas opportunities at African Energy Week 2026.
• PDSL Director General Foday Mansaray will lead Sierra Leone's upstream investment push at the event.
• The country aims to convert growing international interest in its offshore basin into exploration commitments and investment.