This archive report was first published on 13 August 2019.
On August 13, 2019, Kenya's Petroleum Principal Secretary Andrew Kamau confirmed that the country would approve the acquisition of offshore oil and gas exploration blocks by Qatar Petroleum.
Qatar Petroleum had signed an agreement with French multinational oil and gas company Total and its Italian peer Eni to take over three offshore exploration blocks in the Lamu Basin.
The deal, subject to regulatory approvals by Kenyan authorities, saw Qatar Petroleum acquire a 25 percent stake in the three blocks, with Eni owning the remaining 75 percent.
The three offshore blocks, L11A, L11B, and L12, are situated in the Lamu basin and have a total area of approximately 15,000 square kilometres, with water depths ranging from about 1,000 metres to 3,000 metres.
Qatar Petroleum's CEO, Saad bin Sherida al-Kaabi, stated, 'We are pleased to sign this agreement to participate in exploring these frontier offshore areas in Kenya and to further strengthen our presence in Africa.'
