Back to business as usual with Buhari

The west African state’s hopes of restoring oil output rest on the reception given to its 2019 licensing round

Equatorial Guinea's drive to revive stalling oil and gas production will get into full swing with the formal launch in early April of a licensing round that the country desperately needs to succeed if the sector is to have a bright future. The launch of the 2019 round, delayed from January, is due to take place at an oil and gas conference in Malabo, which starts on 2 April. The bid window is expected to close in late 2019. Equatorial Guinea is also set to launch a mining licensing round in April. More than 20 offshore exploration blocks are on offer, mainly in the Rio Muni and Douala basins. They include relinquished acreage, as well as two blocks with established reserves for appraisal