ABIDJAN, June 24 (Xinhua) -- Cote d'Ivoire confirmed on Tuesday the discovery of a hydrocarbon deposit containing high-quality light oil in its sedimentary basin, moving closer toward its ambition of becoming one of Africa's leading hydrocarbon producers by 2035.
The discovery, conducted by U.S. company Murphy Oil in partnership with Cote d'Ivoire's National Petroleum Operations Company, revealed around 30 meters of net oil column spread across two separate reservoirs, the Ministry of Mines, Petroleum and Energy said in a statement.
Preliminary analyses of the recovered fluids indicate the presence of high-quality light oil, it said, adding that an additional appraisal well will be drilled in the second half of 2026 to better determine the extent and commercial potential of the discovery.
The drilling of the Bubale-1X well on the CI-709 block, launched in late February 2026, reached 6,263 meters in deep waters off Cote d'Ivoire, in an area with an average water depth of about 2,400 meters.
According to government objectives, the country plans to strengthen the mining and energy sector to increase its contribution to GDP to 14 percent by 2040 from 7 percent in 2022. ■
