Plenty of optimism in West Africa

Nigeria remains West Africa's largest producer by far, but if you want an exciting exploration prospect then Senegal and Mauritania are the places to be

Nigeria continues to dominate West African oil production, but plays second fiddle to other parts of the region in terms of exploration potential. The government in Abuja has made tangible efforts to reform the once notoriously corrupt administration of the industry and introduce a new framework to encourage investors to return to a sector that remains heavily reliant on mature fields. Total's FPSO in the Egina field is the only sizeable new project scheduled to start producing in the next year—though it is a big one, potentially adding up to 200,000 barrels a day to Nigerian output. Exploration remains limited, as oil companies wait to see how effective industry reforms prove to be. A rise