Celedonio Placido Viera, CEO of Guinea-Bissau’s national oil company (NOC) Petroguin will participate as a speaker at the upcoming MSGBC Oil, Gas & Power 2025 conference and exhibition, taking place in Dakar from December 8-10. At this year’s event, Viera is expected to share insights into Guinea-Bissau’s rapidly evolving upstream landscape and the country’s growing engagement with international investors.

Viera’s participation comes at a pivotal moment for Guinea-Bissau, as the country opens its doors to international exploration investment. As such, attendees can expect a forward-looking view of emerging opportunities in this dynamic, frontier market.

Explore opportunities, foster partnerships and stay at the forefront of the MSGBC region’s oil, gas and power sector. Visit www.msgbcoilgasandpower.com to secure your participation at the MSGBC Oil, Gas & Power 2025 conference. To sponsor or participate as a delegate, please contact sales@energycapitalpower.com.

Marking a major milestone for the country, energy major Chevron recently acquired two exploration blocks in Guinea-Bissau in a move set to advance its offshore exploration strategy. Chevron’s local subsidiary will operate Blocks 5B and 6B in the MSGBC basin with a 90% working interest, alongside Petroguin’s 10% share. The new partnership – fully approved by the government forms part of Chevron’s broader West African expansion strategy, complementing its existing operations in Angola and Nigeria and new ventures in Namibia.

The agreement, finalized in November 2025, represents a breakthrough for Guinea-Bissau, which currently does not produce hydrocarbons but has significantly advanced its efforts to attract exploration investment. The immediate work program will focus on interpreting existing 2D and 3D seismic data across the Carapau and Peixe Espada blocks to identify future drilling prospects.

Under Viera’s leadership, Petroguin has positioned itself at the center of Guinea-Bissau’s energy ambitions, facilitating upstream partnerships and promoting the country’s offshore potential within the prolific MSGBC basin – which has already yielded major discoveries in neighboring Senegal and Mauritania. The NOC continues to collaborate with technical partners such as GeoPartners to compile and promote geoscientific data to prospective investors, laying the groundwork for future licensing rounds.

In addition to Chevron’s entry, Petroguin maintains ongoing partnerships with Petronor E&P and Svenska Petroleum Exploration AB across the Sinapa and Esperança blocks, with new drilling programs under consideration. The company also works with the Bissau Exploration Company to manage exploration data and build local capacity.

“Guinea-Bissau’s recent partnership with Chevron marks a transformative moment for the MSGBC region, showcasing the growing confidence of international investors. We are proud to welcome the NOC and Viera to this year’s event to share the country’s exploration vision and opportunities,” states Sandra Jeque, Events and Project Director, Energy Capital & Power.