Cote d’Ivoire well-positioned for upstream development

Potential ‘world-class find’ at Baleine bodes well for the West African country’s prospects

Italian IOC Eni's “major discovery” at Baleine this summer was the first such find in Cote d’Ivoire for 20 years. And both Baleine and the West African country as a whole have a number of advantages that could aid development. Baleine could be a “world-class find”, consultancy Welligence Energy Analytics says, adding that it shows “frontier exploration offshore sub-Saharan Africa is not dead... the region can compete in the search for advantaged barrels”. Eni’s deepwater discovery, and even its desire to explore, is evidence of its continued commitment to the region. This is in contrast to majors such as ExxonMobil and Chevron, which are looking to divest West African assets as part of a rep