Keypoints:
- SONAP leads national oil exploration drive
- Seismic data attracts global investor interest
- MSGBC 2025 summit to highlight new blocks
GUINEA-CONAKRY, long recognised for its bauxite dominance, is charting a new path in 2025 — into oil and gas. The West African nation, which exported nearly 100 million tonnes of bauxite in the first half of the year, is now seeking to carve out a role in the region’s growing hydrocarbon landscape.
Located within the MSGBC basin — which includes Mauritania, Senegal, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau and Guinea-Conakry — the country sits at the heart of a frontier increasingly prized for its untapped petroleum potential.
Neighbours blaze the trail
Senegal and Mauritania have already moved from exploration to production. Senegal began pumping its first oil in June 2024 from Woodside Energy’s Sangomar field, while both nations launched gas output in late 2024 from bp and Kosmos Energy’s Greater Tortue Ahmeyim project.
As these milestones mark the MSGBC basin’s emergence as a key energy hub, Guinea-Conakry is moving to strengthen its regulatory framework, update seismic mapping and attract global investment.
Geological promise mirrors Guyana’s rise
Industry analysts note that Guinea-Conakry’s geology shares striking similarities with the prolific offshore formations of Guyana and Suriname along the Atlantic Equatorial margin — regions that have seen discoveries exceeding 10 bn barrels in less than a decade.
The country’s Cretaceous-age formations, marine source rocks and sedimentary traps provide strong geological conditions for hydrocarbons. With more than 17,000 km² of 2D and 3D seismic data and extensive historical borehole records, Guinea-Conakry now holds exploration resources comparable to those that fuelled Guyana’s early oil boom.
SONAP leads exploration and reform
At the centre of this transformation is the Société Nationale des Pétroles de Guinée (SONAP), founded in 2021. Under the leadership of Director General Dr Lanciné Condé, SONAP has upgraded its technical and operational capacity, deploying modern mapping, topographic and gas detection tools to evaluate both onshore and offshore blocks.
In partnership with SLB and TGS, SONAP has launched Guinea-Conakry’s first seismic data visualisation centre, containing some 15,000 km² of 3D data and 45,000 km² of 2D data. This database offers investors a detailed foundation for exploration decisions.
Initial findings have been encouraging. Exploration wells GU-2B-1 and Sabu-1 have confirmed a working petroleum system in Upper Cretaceous formations, indicating mature source rocks, good-quality reservoirs and hydrocarbon shows. Although the earlier Fatala-1 well did not produce commercial volumes, promising geological analogues continue to draw investor attention.
Boosting investment confidence
To enhance transparency and competitiveness, SONAP has introduced a national petroleum cadastre and identified 22 exploration blocks for an upcoming licensing round.
In April 2025, SONAP issued two tenders — one for a new storage and product management platform, and another to achieve ISO 9001 and ISO 45001 certification in quality and safety management. These reforms underscore Guinea-Conakry’s commitment to international standards and investor-friendly governance.
With improved seismic datasets and clearer legal frameworks, the country is lowering exploration risk and operational uncertainty — offering early investors a strategic first-mover advantage.
Showcasing new opportunities in Dakar
Guinea-Conakry’s oil ambitions will take centre stage at the MSGBC Oil, Gas & Power 2025 Conference and Exhibition in Dakar on December 9–10. The event will bring together SONAP officials, government representatives and energy investors eager to explore the country’s newly delineated oil and gas blocks.
The conference, organised by Energy Capital & Power, will spotlight how Guinea-Conakry is emerging as a credible new player in the MSGBC basin’s unfolding energy story.
