West Africa’s rising star

Cote d’Ivoire’s ambitions to become a major regional producer have gained renewed momentum, with established players and new entrants striking upstream deals and committing to long-term investment

Cote d’Ivoire kicked off 2025 in activist mode, with Italy’s Eni announcing in January it had tripled output from Block CI-101, in the offshore Baleine field, to 60,000b/d.   The West African country is attracting growing attention, including from those already active in its upstream. Houston-based independent Vaalco Energy, already present via a 27.4% interest in the Canadian Natural Resources International (CNRI)-operated Block CI-40, located 70km east of CI-101, announced in early March it had farmed into the into the CI-705 block in Cote d’Ivoire’s offshore. Vaalco will become operator of the block in the Tano Basin with a 70% working interest. Underscoring the burgeoning interest in Cot