Betty Milton
The Deputy Minister of Finance, Bockarie Kalokoh, together with the Director General of the Petroleum Directorate of Sierra Leone (PDSL), Foday Mansaray, were received in Paris, by Ambassador Mohamed Kanja Sesay to participate in this year’s Invest in African Energy 2025 conference held in Paris on 13th and 14th May, 2025.
Invest in African Energy is the continent’s premier forum outside Africa, with its third edition this year. This forum brings opportunities for international and African delegates to collaborate and discover new avenues for investment while making a tangible impact on economic diversification, regional integration, employment opportunities, and the electrification of the region.
The Director General of PDSL, Mr. Mansaray, made presentations at the high-level event, showcasing Sierra Leone’s growing potential in the oil and gas sector and the nation’s commitment to regional collaboration and sustainable investment.
As part of his strategic engagements with partners, he mentioned that Sierra Leone is ready and open for business. He disclosed that drilling in Sierra Leone is set to commence in 2026, which is a huge milestone and a strong step towards Sierra Leone realizing its potential in becoming a net exporter of oil and/or gas.
Regarding concerns about investing in Sierra Leone, the Director General stated that Sierra Leone has strategically engaged in de-risking its offshore prospects by acquiring new 3D seismic data over the northwest area of the basin, with work set to commence in early June 2025.
DG Mansaray also provided information about opportunities to invest in the country’s oil and gas sector, highlighting that work is currently underway with TGS to reprocess existing 3D, with a focus on the 3-billion-barrel Vega prospect in Sierra Leone.
He further noted that a prospective study by the international advisory consulting firm PVE Consulting Ltd. had indicated that Sierra Leone possesses a vast hydrocarbon potential of approximately 20 billion barrels of recoverable oil.
The event also presented a valuable opportunity to network with various actors and partners in the oil and gas sector.
