East African country, Tanzania, will launch its fifth oil and gas licensing round in November 2025 in London, marking its first major bid round in over a decade.
The move signals the government’s renewed efforts to attract foreign investment into its petroleum sector and tap into the country’s vast hydrocarbon potential.
The licensing round will feature 26 oil and gas exploration blocks 23 offshore in the Indian Ocean and three in Lake Tanganyika.
The Petroleum Upstream Regulatory Authority (PURA), which is overseeing the process, said the round aims to expand exploration activity and unlock untapped reserves in both deepwater and inland basins.
Charles Sangweni, Director General and Chairman of PURA, said Tanzania’s strategy for the licensing round boarders on its energy sector reforms.
“This licensing round is a vital step in unlocking Tanzania’s hydrocarbon potential,” Sangweni said in a recent statement. “We are improving the investment environment, including updating our Model Production Sharing Agreement to offer globally competitive terms.”
He added that Tanzania’s estimated 57.54 trillion cubic feet of recoverable natural gas, most of which lies offshore, presents significant opportunities for investors, especially at a time when global energy demand is shifting towards gas as a transitional fuel.
PURA also noted that data packages for each block comprising seismic surveys, well logs and geological reports will be made available to potential bidders to support informed decision making.
According to the regulator, this licensing round is part of a broader agenda to position Tanzania as a regional energy hub and drive long term economic growth through increased exploration, production and revenue generation.
By participating in the conference alongside major African stakeholders like PURA and the Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation aim to boost its engagement with regional and global energy players.
Tanzania first announced plans for its oil and gas licensing in March, adding that it will offer 26 exploration blocks to investors.
The bidding round aligns with Tanzania’s ongoing efforts to finalize negotiations for a $42 billion liquefied natural gas (LNG) export project, which has been nearly a decade in development.
