Cameroon’s Société Nationale des Hydrocarbures (SNH) has opened its 2026 bid round, offering six exploration blocks across three sedimentary basins. The offer was presented at the African Farmout Forum during African Energy Week in Cape Town, South Africa, on October 13, 2026, with bids accepted until May 28, 2027.
Six Blocks in Three Basins, From Rio del Rey to Logone Birni
The acreage on offer is split across three basins. Ndian River and Bakassi sit in the Rio del Rey Basin.
The bid round was announced on a Monday at the African Energy Week event in Cape Town, where SNH offered the six exploration blocks to international investors. The announcement came only days after the country’s bid process was lifted into the spotlight at the sidelines of a Brussels meeting, described in the sections below.
Bids Close May 28, 2027, With Results Due in June
Bid submissions are open until May 28, 2027, and results are expected in June 2027.
The forum itself held 23 farmout presentations, organized by Moyes & Co, Farmout Angel & Envoi Ltd. Cameroon’s offer was one of several frontier and West African pitches competing for the same pool of capital that week.
Other offers at the same event included Liberty Petroleum’s presentation of Block 131’s Leopard opportunity, which outlined a $20 million seismic acquisition program. Joint Oil showcased its Tunisia-Libya offshore bid round, which closes on December 31, 2026, with opportunities that include the undeveloped Zarat gas-condensate discovery and exploration across the 3,055-square-kilometer Joint Oil Block.
Gabon’s DGH presented 26 available blocks spanning onshore to ultra-deepwater acreage, while Angola’s ANPG highlighted Kwanza opportunities, including Block 36 and 37 in the current bid round.
Minister Gentry Takes Cameroon’s Transparency Case to Brussels
The bid round arrives while Cameroon is trying to end its suspension from the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI).
Officials at recent ECA meetings in Yaoundé, echoing calls for stronger governance, put the issue in plain terms. Political ownership is essential if technical recommendations are to lead to action,
they said.
Investors Weigh Fresh Acreage Against a Suspended Transparency Record
It cites declining hydrocarbon production and an IMF warning of weakened 2026 prospects as reasons Yaoundé needs new investment. Analysts it spoke to say investors may hesitate to commit to new blocks while transparency concerns persist.