Côte d’Ivoire strengthened its position in the African energy sector by ranking among the six leading upstream oil investment hubs (exploration and production) on the continent, according to an analysis recently published by Africa Business Insider and reported by Sika Finance.

The analysis of investment flows in hydrocarbons shows that several African countries attracted over 500 million dollars in upstream investments in 2025, a benchmark for identifying the main oil markets on the continent. Among these countries are Nigeria, Angola, Uganda, Ghana, and Gabon, alongside Côte d’Ivoire, now ranked sixth. This rise reflects growing international interest in the Ivorian energy potential and the rapid development of its exploration and production projects.

The interest from investors is largely due to significant discoveries of oil and gas fields, including the Baleine field, identified in 2021, with estimated reserves of several billion barrels of oil and large volumes of natural gas. The start of production in Baleine phase 2 and the prospects for phase 3 have encouraged major international players such as Eni, Vaalco Energy, and Murphy Oil to invest in Ivorian blocks. In addition, leading oil companies like BP and PETROBRAS have recently expressed interest in exploration opportunities in Côte d’Ivoire, in a context considered favorable by investors due to an increasingly clear and attractive regulatory framework.

This progress places Côte d’Ivoire alongside the main African markets in terms of attracting capital to the energy sector, while the continent continues to develop its oil and gas production capacity. Being ranked sixth among investment hubs sends a strong signal to economic actors and foreign partners about the country’s growing potential in the oil industry.

In the longer term, Ivorian authorities have set even higher ambitions for the sector, aiming to increase national production volumes and strengthen the contribution of oil and gas to the country’s economic growth.