Can you outline SLB’s presence in West Africa and provide an overview of its product and service portfolio?

SLB has been in West Africa for over 80 years, piloting many significant projects, including logging the first commercial oil well in Oloibiri, Nigeria. We have established ourselves as a cornerstone of the region's oil and gas industry, delivering value for our stakeholders across several key markets in West Africa. We have consistently adapted and enhanced our products and services. Our comprehensive range of solutions to the industry includes Digital & Integration, Reservoir Performance, Production Systems, Well Construction, and others.

Can you share some notable projects SLB is involved in and outline any recent trends in demand for SLB’s services in West Africa?

One of our notable projects in West Africa was installing a special liner for Eni in the Baleine Field in offshore Côte d'Ivoire. This unique technology helped improve oil production in the area. The project was crucial and complex, but we successfully executed it using three of our cutting-edge products: Drill Plan, Advanced Liner Installation Planning Analysis, and Connect BHA. 

As for recent trends, there is a growing demand for our services, particularly in the realm of digital solutions and performance optimization. In Nigeria, oil production companies are focusing on reviving the dormant shallow water fields. Recently, we installed a customized Production Express Facility on an offshore vessel for a customer, which enabled the safe restart of production after 22 years. This Facility is designed to process expected crude specifications and has been successfully installed and commissioned in several geographies, successfully achieving a full capacity of 10,000 bpd of production over the years. 

What are the main challenges SLB faces when operating in West African markets?

One of the most prominent issues in West Africa is security. Certain regions face political instability and security threats, which can significantly impact our operations and the safety of our employees. 

Logistics and supply chain could also pose a challenge, but with that, we are innovating and building local capacity to support our operations. 

What are the most promising energy market opportunities in West Africa that SLB has identified?

The West African market has a huge untapped potential for gas. For many years, countries like Nigeria, Mauritania and Equatorial Guinea have continually flared gas resources that could have been harnessed in so many ways.  With the current situation in Europe and the huge global demand for gas, it has become the next frontier for the West African market.  Opportunities such as domestic gas and power supply, LNG, CNG, fertilizer plants, etc., present a huge untapped market that could sustain our presence in these regions for many years.  

What are SLB’s immediate priorities and objectives in West Africa?

Our focus on capacity development is also something we are proud of as a company. We are particularly involved in community engagement around STEM education to boost the growth of future science pioneers.