Eni Enters Gambian Waters with New Offshore Block Award

Italian energy giant Eni has added The Gambia to its growing roster of African upstream operations, following the award of a new offshore exploration block in the country's Atlantic waters, according to Offshore Energy. The award represents a first-time entry into Gambian territory for Eni, underscoring the company's sustained strategic focus on West Africa as a key growth region for oil and gas exploration. Eni has long maintained a significant presence across the African continent, with active operations in countries including Nigeria, Angola, Mozambique, and the Republic of Congo, among others. While specific details of the block's acreage, water depth, and the terms of the production sharing agreement have not been fully disclosed, the move aligns with broader industry interest in the West African Atlantic margin, a region that has attracted renewed exploration activity in recent years following significant deepwater discoveries in neighbouring Senegal and Mauritania. The Gambia's offshore basin shares geological characteristics with the prolific Senegalese margin, where the SNE/Sangomar field — operated by Woodside Energy — achieved first oil in 2024. That discovery helped reframe investor appetite for the sub-region, prompting a number of international operators to reassess acreage opportunities along the same sedimentary trend. For Eni, the Gambia block award is consistent with its 'dual exploration model,' which targets both near-field opportunities adjacent to existing infrastructure and frontier basins with material resource potential. The company has previously demonstrated a willingness to move early into underexplored jurisdictions across Africa, often leveraging its technical expertise in deepwater and complex geological settings. The expansion also carries broader significance for The Gambia, one of West Africa's smallest nations, which has been working to develop a regulatory and fiscal framework capable of attracting credible international operators. A partnership with a major of Eni's scale could accelerate the country's ambitions to establish a functioning upstream sector and generate long-term hydrocarbon revenues. Further details on exploration timelines, committed work programmes, and any co-venture partners are expected to emerge as the licence terms are formalised.