Sierra Leone signed an exploration agreement with Shell covering 18 offshore blocks, as the country moves toward a drilling decision expected between late 2026 and early 2027, the head of its petroleum regulator said Wednesday.
Foday Mansaray, director general of the Petroleum Directorate of Sierra Leone, told attendees at the Invest in African Energy conference in Paris on Wednesday that Nigerian independent FA Oil is among operators positioned to drill in that window.
Eni signed a separate deal in November 2025 to explore five offshore blocks, expanding Sierra Leone’s upstream partnership base as the government seeks to convert geological potential into financeable projects.
Sierra Leone is betting that a leaner regulatory process and fresh seismic data can pull exploration capital away from more established West African producers at a moment when frontier plays are drawing renewed scrutiny from majors and independents alike.
Early resource estimates point to up to 30 billion barrels of recoverable oil, Mansaray said, adding that the figures remain contingent on drilling confirmation.
The government has reprocessed legacy 3D seismic data, acquired new surveys in the northwestern basin, and commissioned independent basinwide studies to reduce subsurface uncertainty.
Approval timelines have been cut to roughly 30 to 40 days as Sierra Leone competes for capital against more established regional producers.
“The biggest takeaway has been that it takes too long to close deals,” Mansaray said. “We asked ourselves: How do we move faster from commitment to execution?”
The government is maintaining what Mansaray described as three fixed parameters in all negotiations: contractual structure, royalties and state participation.
“Predictability is very important,” he said. “If you sign a contract today and the terms change in a year, that drives investment away.”
