Liberia Launches 2026 Offshore Licensing Round at AEW 2026

Liberia has launched its 2026 Offshore Direct Negotiation Licensing Round, offering 15 offshore blocks across the Liberia and Harper basins as the country seeks to attract exploration investment. 

The launch took place on October 14 at African Energy Week (AEW) 2026, with Director General of the LPRA Marilyn T. Logan announcing the round alongside senior Liberian officials and industry representatives.

“Our petroleum system works,” Logan said, urging companies to submit letters of intent before the closing of the round on April 15, 2027.

“Whichever company makes the first discovery will play a significant role in the history of our country.”

The round covers 12 blocks in the Liberia Basin – LB-1, LB-2, LB-3, LB-7, LB-12, LB-13, LB-14, LB-18, LB-19, LB-20, LB-21 and LB-23 – and three in the Harper Basin – LB-25, LB-28 and LB-33. The acreage targets Cretaceous structures, deepwater basin-floor fans and structural closures along the Atlantic margin.

The round is supported by more than 80,000 km of seismic data, including over 50,000 line-km of 2D and 31,000 km² of 3D surveys, alongside gravity, magnetic and well-log datasets. TGS has reprocessed 12,000 km of 2D seismic using Pre-Stack Depth Migration and 5,100 km² of 3D data to improve subsurface imaging and help investors assess exploration prospects.

“There’s a working petroleum system offshore Liberia,” said Jason Robinson, Managing Director at ENARJI, previously having served as TGS’s Director of Business Development. “It’s been a prolific system across the margin and there are significant fan-plays that go out into the very deepwater.”

Under the direct negotiation model, qualified companies can pursue individual blocks and negotiate proposed exploration programs. Applicants must demonstrate technical capability, financial strength and relevant offshore experience. The process operates under Liberia’s 2014 Petroleum Exploration and Production Act and its 2019 amendments

“Investors are not just looking to find attractive fiscal terms; they’re also looking for fiscal predictability,” said Robert Sonkarlay, Deputy Director General for Finance, LPRA. “We can assure that our terms are flexible and benchmarked. We will ensure that our terms adapt to changing markets and the needs to interested participants.”

LPRA Member of the Board Kau Dorilae echoed these remarks, emphasizing that the regulatory company strives to ensure predictability in the licensing round and investment framework in the country. 

“We work very hard to engage with our investors,” she said, adding that prequalification is valid for five years, allowing companies to establish eligibility before pursuing specific opportunities.

During the launch, Liberia’s President Joseph Nyuma Boakai – who delivered a pre-recorded video address – described the licensing round as an important chapter in the history of Liberia, stating, “Today, I assure you that the journey you are about to begin with Liberia through the LPRA carries the full support of the Liberian government and is guided by principles that this administration is dedicated to stand for.”

Preparations for the campaign included an investor day in Houston on August 19 and the opening of prequalification on August 28. Organized by Energy Capital & Power and presented by the LPRA, the launch positions Liberia’s offshore acreage before international investors attending AEW 2026, with the licensing process designed to move qualified companies toward block-specific negotiations.

For more information about the licensing round and pre-qualification requirements, visit https://lpra.gov.lr/liberia-2026-licensing-round/ or email lpra2026submission@lpra.gov.lr.