Madagascar seeks to emulate Mozambique

After a protracted process, new licenses have been signed, while onshore LNG projects are edging closer to realisation

In the week that the citizens of Madagascar go to the polls in the first round of their presidential election, a new licensing round, covering 44 offshore blocks in the Morondava basin, will be launched by Omnis, the government agency responsible for the extractives sector. The country is eager to bring explorers to its western offshore sedimentary basins. These have been under-explored, despite being located across the maritime boundary with Mozambique, which has played host to huge gas discoveries in recent years. The launch will take place at the annual Africa Oil Week conference in Cape Town in the week of 5 November. The promotional benefits provided by this event have overridden any is