The leadership change comes after a turbulent 2025 that saw oil and gas independent PetroNor relinquish Block A4 and several offshore blocks return to market, reopening acreage just as Senegal and Mauritania moved from exploration into production with Woodside Energy’s Sangomar oil field and bp and Kosmos Energy’s Greater Tortue Ahmeyim LNG project. With regional project success, new acreage available and strengthened oversight, The Gambia’s oil and gas market is being positioned as the MSGBC’s next frontier.

Flagship Blocks, Frontier Data

The Gambia has divided its upstream market into eight offshore blocks and one onshore block, with the Petroleum Commission marketing acreage through both direct negotiation and licensing rounds. Approximately 80% of offshore seismic and geological data has already been acquired, giving explorers a better technical starting point than many African frontier plays.

At last year’s MSGBC Oil, Gas & Power conference and exhibition in Dakar, the country’s state-owned Gambia National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) announced it is advancing onshore exploration to attract investors, aligning with regional energy growth. Independent producers, supportive fiscal policies and service providers are driving smaller-scale projects, infrastructure development and local capacity building for future oil and gas expansion.

“We are trying to build a better exploration strategy for our onshore blocks,” said Baboucarr Njie, Managing Director of the GNPC, at the December event, adding that the corporation is building a data room with structured and controlled access. 

Blocks A2 and A5, covering 2,682 km² have long been viewed as the country’s flagship offshore opportunity. Australian oil company FAR mapped the acreage using 1,504 km² of 3D seismic, estimating 1.1 billion barrels of gross un-risked prospective resources across the Samo and Bambo structures. The Samo-1 well in 2018 reached 3,240m and confirmed an active petroleum system but found water-bearing main targets. Bambo-1 in 2021, drilled in 930m of water to around 3,400m planned depth by FAR and international oil company Petronas, encountered oil shows across multiple intervals but no moveable commercial volumes.

Leveraging Regional Synergies to Secure Partners

The Gambia’s next upstream phase is about securing the right partners. Speaking at African Energy Week 2025, Lamin Camara, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy of The Gambia, explained that the government is “in advanced stages of negotiation” with international oil companies. “We have seen developments taking place in Mauritania and Senegal and continue to accelerate our exploration. We have changed our strategy and are now in direct negotiations with players to explore resources,” said Camara.

Blocks A1 and A4 could be logical candidates given their location along the same offshore trend as Senegal’s proven petroleum system. Senegal’s Sangomar oil field is now producing steadily, with Phase 1 output of around 100,000 barrels per day and plans to expand further. By leveraging proximity to Senegalese infrastructure and operational experience, Gambian projects could benefit from tiebacks, shared service platforms and subsea expertise, helping reduce marginal development costs. This cross-border logic strengthens the commercial case for early investment and operators in The Gambia can integrate lessons from Senegal’s production, access technical know-how and explore collaborative development models that de-risk frontier exploration.

This combination of geology, available blocks and regulatory reform is expected to feature at MSGBC Oil, Gas & Power 2026 this December in Dakar, where Banjul’s offshore potential will be showcased to the basin’s core investor audience. For companies moving before the next commercial discovery, The Gambia could remain the MSGBC’s last true first-mover opportunity.