Eni S.p.A., Italy’s energy giant, has signed a Reconnaissance Permit Agreement with the Government of Sierra Leone’s Petroleum Directorate, marking its first major offshore engagement in the country.
The agreement grants Eni the right to undertake technical reconnaissance and evaluation work across five blocks—G113, G129, G130, G131, and G132—covering approximately 6,790 square kilometers of Sierra Leone’s offshore waters, and signals renewed international interest in the country’s hydrocarbon The agreement gives Eni the right to conduct technical reconnaissance and evaluation work across five blocks — G113, G129, G130, G131, and G132 — covering approximately 6,790 square kilometers of Sierra Leone’s offshore waters, signaling renewed international interest in the country’s hydrocarbon prospects for future drilling. The programme’s size and technicality highlight a significant investment in data and expertise, as well as the company’s belief that Sierra Leone’s offshore basins deserve serious consideration.
According to industry observers, the agreement demonstrates confidence in Sierra Leone’s efforts to modernise and attract capital to its upstream sector. The African Energy Chamber (AEC) praised the move as a watershed moment for the country’s energy ambitions, noting that such commitments come at a critical time for Sierra Leone’s resurgence as an exploration frontier in West Africa. AEC Executive Chairman NJ Ayuk described Eni’s involvement as “a powerful endorsement of Sierra Leone’s progress in building a transparent, investable, and technically credible oil and gas sector,” and stated that the partnership heralds a new era of “confidence and data-driven investment.”
The signing also reflects Sierra Leone’s improved governance and regulatory reforms, which stakeholders credit to President Dr Julius Maada Bio and Foday Mansaray, Director General of the Petroleum Directorate.
Authorities have been proactive in updating frameworks, attracting technical partners, and promoting a business environment that encourages responsible resource development. These measures, combined with increased technical activity, are helping to reposition Sierra Leone on the radar of global exploration companies.
Sierra Leone’s offshore domain is already known to hold significant discoveries and prospects.
The government cites four major oil discoveries and estimates total oil in place at approximately 44 billion barrels, with 15 to 20 billion barrels considered potentially recoverable. To support future exploration and reduce risk for investors, the country has also invested in new 3D seismic acquisition in partnership with TGS, to map prospects across the basin and guide subsequent drilling decisions.
Eni’s reconnaissance programme is expected to supplement these mapping efforts by providing additional technical capacity, interpretation skills, and subsurface data that can help sharpen prospectivity estimates. Beyond the immediate technical work, stakeholders highlight the potential long-term benefits of collaboration with international operators, such as knowledge transfer to local teams, infrastructure development, skill and capacity building across the oil and gas value chain, and the possibility of shared economic gains.
The AEC describes the Eni agreement as a watershed moment for Sierra Leone: years of institutional strengthening and policy reform are beginning to yield tangible investor interest.
This momentum has broader implications for West Africa’s frontier basins, where renewed exploration campaigns and increased regulatory certainty are attracting major operators who had previously reduced their presence in the region.
For Sierra Leone, the stakes extend beyond hydrocarbon discovery.
Officials and sector supporters argue that attracting reputable international partners can help diversify the national economy, expand energy access, and create long-term infrastructure and employment opportunities, provided projects are managed transparently and benefits are shared. The government’s approach emphasises responsible development and seeks to ensure that technical investments produce tangible social and economic benefits.
As Eni begins its reconnaissance work over the five licensed blocks, the focus will be on the technical results and whether additional investments, including exploratory drilling, will follow. For the time being, the agreement serves as a concrete signal that Sierra Leone’s offshore prospects and recent policy reforms are sufficient to attract large-scale technical commitments from a major global operator, potentially ushering in a new era in the country’s pursuit of oil and gas-led growth.
