PETROCI Holding assumes control of Côte d’Ivoire’s Espoir oil field (CI‑26)

On 24 July 2026, PETROCI Holding formally took over the Espoir offshore oil field (block CI‑26) in Côte d’Ivoire from Canadian Natural Resources (CNR). The transfer was signed at the Direction Générale des Hydrocarbures in Abidjan, with PETROCI’s chief executive Fatoumata Sanogo signing on behalf of the company and CNR’s representative Murray Rattray signing for the former operator. Alpha Yaya Ouattara, representing the Director General of Hydrocarbons, presided over the ceremony.

The hand‑over created a new subsidiary, PETROCI CI‑26, to manage the block, and Mabintou Tatiana Cissé was appointed its director general. The transfer, effective at midnight on the same day, aligns with Ivory Coast’s policy to increase the role of the national oil company in the sector, while leaving existing production‑sharing arrangements unchanged.