Gambia Yet to Discover Commercially Viable Oil, Petroleum Minister Says

By Seedy Jobe

The Gambia has yet to discover commercially viable oil, but the government remains hopeful that continued exploration will eventually produce results, Petroleum, Energy, and Mines Minister Nani Juwara said on Tuesday.

Mr. Juwara, speaking in an interview on Senn FM Radio’s Fanoketa program, said determining whether the country has commercially recoverable oil requires extensive exploration and cannot be answered conclusively without further investigation.

Although exploration has continued and wells have been drilled since 2022, he said, findings so far have not established the presence of oil in quantities considered commercially viable.

“We haven’t found oil yet, but we are hopeful,” Mr. Juwara said.

The minister said the government was working with international companies to expand exploration, noting that oil and gas projects require billions of dollars in investment, sophisticated technology, and technical expertise beyond the government’s capacity to provide on its own.

He said the government had signed agreements with two companies and was in discussions with another company based in the United Kingdom that has operations in Angola, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, and Algeria.

Much of the exploration is focused offshore, Mr. Juwara said, where drilling can reach depths of 2,000 to 3,000 meters and requires specialized equipment and substantial financing. The exploration efforts will also include potential natural gas deposits, he added.

Mr. Juwara said the government was particularly concerned with ensuring that Gambians benefit from any future discoveries. He pointed to the experiences of some resource-rich countries where, despite significant natural wealth, ordinary citizens have seen limited benefits.

Beyond oil and gas, the minister said the government was investigating other minerals believed to exist in The Gambia but whose potential remains largely unknown because of limited exploration. The government, he said, is seeking partnerships with additional companies to expand those efforts.

Mr. Juwara cautioned that oil exploration is a lengthy process, potentially taking 10 to 15 years from initial investigation to commercial production.

He said that even if the current administration is no longer in office by the time a discovery is made, exploration should be viewed as a long-term national undertaking rather than one tied to a particular government.

The minister called on Gambians to hope not only for the discovery of natural resources but also for peace and for any resources found to ultimately benefit the country.

Mr. Juwara said recent discoveries elsewhere in West Africa offered reason for optimism, citing petroleum and natural gas developments in neighboring and nearby countries. He said The Gambia remained hopeful that continued exploration would eventually establish commercially viable resources of its own.