‘Monsieur Afrique’ says gas is the big frontier exploration
Panoro Energy’s senior advisor, Tim O’Hanlon, is upbeat on Gulf of Guinea upstream opportunities but highlights gas and LNG as next big growth story
Gas and LNG are set for a boom across Africa after previously taking a backseat to oil E&P activity, with the growth opportunities not just confined to the traditional east Africa spots, said Panoro Energy Senior Advisor Tim O’Hanlon in an exclusive interview with Petroleum Economist. Known as ‘Monsieur Afrique’ for his multi-decade stint in the region, largely as the face of independent Tullow Oil, O’Hanlon has been supporting Panoro’s infrastructure-led exploration and appraisal offshore Gabon, leveraging existing infrastructure to accelerate development of low-cost barrels, and he highlights the whole Gulf of Guinea region as providing further opportunities despite its maturity. Last
Also in this section
16 January 2026
The country’s global energy importance and domestic political fate are interlocked, highlighting its outsized oil and gas powers, and the heightened fallout risk
16 January 2026
The global maritime oil transport sector enters 2026 facing a rare convergence of crude oversupply, record newbuild deliveries and the potential easing of several geopolitical disruptions that have shaped trade flows since 2022
15 January 2026
Rebuilding industry, energy dominance and lower energy costs are key goals that remain at odds in 2026
14 January 2026
Chavez’s socialist reforms boosted state control but pushed knowledge and capital out of the sector, opening the way for the US shale revolution






