Nigeria’s FIRST Exploration & Petroleum Development Company (FIRST E&P) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC) to evaluate and potentially develop the Mnazi Bay North Block, a gas-rich area in southern Tanzania.
The agreement, signed at TPDC’s headquarters in Dodoma, marks a significant milestone in Tanzania’s ongoing efforts to harness its vast natural gas resources and expand regional energy access. The ceremony was attended by senior government officials, industry executives, and key stakeholders from both countries.
Under the MoU, FIRST E&P will fully finance the technical assessment phase of the project. This move underscores the Nigerian company’s confidence in the prospectivity of the Mnazi Bay North Block and its commitment to establishing a long-term presence in Tanzania’s upstream oil and gas sector.
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National objective
FIRST E&P, which currently produces around 57,000 barrels of oil per day in Nigeria through a joint venture with NNPC Limited, is expanding its footprint beyond West Africa. The company’s Managing Director, Ademola Adeyemi-Bero, said the partnership reflects FIRST E&P’s broader ambition to drive growth across the continent by leveraging its technical expertise, performance-driven culture, and entrepreneurial mindset.
“Tanzania’s strategic geographic location gives it a natural advantage to emerge as a regional energy hub,” Adeyemi-Bero stated. “With the right investments and regulatory environment, the country can serve as a linchpin for gas distribution across Sub-Saharan Africa, enhancing cross-border trade and regional energy security.”
He further emphasized that the collaboration with TPDC is rooted in more than commercial interest. “This partnership is not just about hydrocarbons. It’s about building lasting relationships grounded in mutual trust, development, and shared prosperity.”
From the Tanzanian perspective, the agreement aligns with the national objective of increasing domestic gas development. Commissioner for Petroleum and Gas at the Ministry of Energy, Godluck Shirima, highlighted the MoU as a direct outcome of the 2015 Petroleum Act, which enables TPDC to engage in joint ventures for upstream asset development.
Shirima identified the Mnazi Bay North Block as a strategic asset and praised the cooperation among TPDC, the Petroleum Upstream Regulatory Authority (PURA), and the Ministry of Energy in realizing this groundbreaking partnership.
TPDC Managing Director, Mussa Makame, spoke on the broader significance of the project, noting that with millions of Tanzanian households still reliant on biomass for cooking, expanding domestic gas production is vital not only for energy access but also for environmental protection and public health.
He welcomed the participation of African-owned companies like FIRST E&P in transforming the continent’s energy landscape, stressing the importance of local value creation and technical collaboration.
FIRST E&P’s entry into Tanzania is the latest in a series of pan-African expansion moves. In Nigeria, the company operates several key licences, including PML 53 and 54, and has gained recognition for achieving first oil in 2020 and scaling production swiftly thereafter.
