The Director General of the Petroleum Directorate of Sierra Leone (PDSL), Mr. Foday Mansaray, has, on the opening day of the Angola Oil & Gas (AOG) 2022 Conference and Exhibition, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Angola’s National Agency for Oil, Gas and Biofuels (ANPG) in a bid to forge partnerships with established African producers and unlock the full potential of Sierra Leone’s national hydrocarbon resources.

Returning to Luanda for its third edition from 29th November to 1st December, AOG 2022, with the support of the Minister of Mineral Resources, Oil and Gas, H.E. Diamantino Pedro Azevedo, and in partnership with the ANPG, AIDAC and the African Energy Chamber, this important event for Angola’s oil and gas industry provides the platform to address the most pressing matters in the country’s energy market as it strives to curb production decline; expand and promote exploration and new discoveries; ensure the participation of its population in its central economic engine; achieve fuel-independency through large-scale investments in refining capacity; diversify its economy; and addresses the narrative of a just energy transition by developing its natural gas resources and other alternative sources of energy, ensuring economic development and widespread energy wealth.

PDSL launched its fifth petroleum licensing round on 18 May, 2022 during the Africa Energies Summit in London, with a view to bring in new investors to explore and develop its frontier acreage. Initially, due to close on 30 September 2022, this was extended to January 27, 2023 owing to increased interest. PDSL has flagged a potentially large and interesting prospect in block 130, ‘the Sylvia prospect’, which according to calculations may hold up to 3 billion barrels of oil equivalent.

During his keynote address at AOG 2022, Mr. Mansaray addressed Sierra Leone’s untapped petroleum resources, the potential for knowledge sharing and technology transfer with mature producers like Angola, and the role of regional cooperation within the African energy sector, among other key topics.

The Sierra Leone High Commission in Kenya is accredited to the Republic of Angola.