Shell's Sierra Leone permit was signed in Paris at Invest in African Energy (IAE) 2026, where Sierra Leone also awarded Marginal Energy a full petroleum license, making the forum a venue for agreements at both the reconnaissance and licensing stages.

Sierra Leone has emerged as a leader in West African exploration, having built its offshore strategy primarily around the reconnaissance model. The Petroleum Directorate of Sierra Leone (PDSL) defines a reconnaissance permit as a temporary, non-exclusive license allowing early geological and geophysical evaluation, with a minimum work program attached. Eni's permit, signed in October 2025, covers five offshore blocks across approximately 6,790 km², and Shell's, signed at IAE 2026 in April, extends across 19 blocks and about 20,600 km². Shell's studies combine seismic interpretation with basin modeling to identify where reservoirs are most likely to occur.

PDSL has paired the permits with investment in new subsurface data. Before the Shell agreement, Sierra Leone acquired new long-offset 3D seismic and reprocessed its existing data. The directorate has said the improved imaging revealed several exploration plays. “Our strategy is deliberately focused on de-risking the basin through high-quality data, attracting credible global players and accelerating the pathway towards exploration drilling,” said PDSL Director General Foday Mansaray when the Shell permit was announced.

Liberia's framework offers a further incentive. TotalEnergies, which holds 65% of the Harper Basin reconnaissance license alongside BluEnergies, can recover its reconnaissance spending if the blocks later move to production sharing contracts.

The Harper Basin program demonstrates how a reconnaissance license can convert into production sharing contracts. TotalEnergies and BluEnergies began an 18-month technical program in November 2025, reprocessing seismic and surveying the seabed across the three blocks. The partners plan to seek production sharing contracts if the work confirms prospects worth drilling, with conversion targeted for late 2026 or 2027. TotalEnergies also holds four production sharing contracts in Liberia's southern offshore basin, signed in 2025 and covering about 12,700 km², which gives the company the advantage of operating at two different stages of the country's exploration cycle at the same time.

Gabon's deepwater opening has followed a similar early-stage approach and signals a proliferation of the model across West Africa. ExxonMobil and bp each signed memorandums of understanding with Gabon’s Ministry of Petroleum and Gas in October 2025 to study acreage in its deep and ultra-deep waters. At the end of September, the government signed a 10-year agreement with TGS to market and expand the seismic library covering most of its deep offshore.

Across the region, reconnaissance and data agreements are expanding the geological information available to investors ahead of licensing in some of the least-explored offshore acreage on the continent. IAE 2027 will bring African governments and regulators together with the operators evaluating frontier acreage through B2G Day and the Exploration and Discovery Forum, extending the partnerships established at the 2026 event.

Organized by Energy Capital & Power, Invest in African Energy 2027 takes place May 11-13 in Paris. To learn more about IAE 2027 and register as a delegate, visit invest-africa-energy.com.