Cameroon’s licensing round2 Mar 2026 23:31
Cameroon’s 2026 Licensing Round: A Regulatory and Compliance Guide for Prospective Bidders
Cameroon’s 2026 licensing round provides access to blocks located in established producing basins with available subsurface data
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SANDTON, South Africa, February 26, 2026/APO Group/ -- Introduction
Cameroon’s 2026 licensing round represents one of the most structured and commercially compelling entry points into proven producing basins in Central Africa in recent years. Within its mandate to promote and valorise hydrocarbon resources in the national oil and gas domain of the Republic of Cameroon, the The Société Nationale des Hydrocarbures (SNH) has brought to market nine blocks located in the Rio del Rey and Douala/Kribi-Campo basins, all of which lie in close proximity to existing producing fields and are supported by 2D and 3D seismic coverage, drilled wells, discovery wells, identified leads and undrilled prospects. This is taking place in a country with approximately 200 million barrels of proven oil reserves (U.S Energy Information and Worldometer Data) and significant gas potential, governed by a modern legislative framework under Law No. 2019/008 of 25 April 2019 instituting the Petroleum Code, its enabling acts and and Decree n° 2023/232 of May 04, 2023.
For investors, the decisive question is whether their bid satisfies the legal and regulatory conditions for participation and evaluation. Entry into the round is determined at the submission stage by a number of mandatory parameters: the choice of petroleum contract under the Petroleum Code, the commitment to a minimum work programme within the exploration periods, the ability to meet the corporate, technical, financial, environmental and local content requirements set out in the Call for Expression of Interest. These are the criteria against which bids will be assessed.
This article sets out the legal and regulatory framework governing participation in Cameroon’s 2026 licensing round. It focuses on the mandatory requirements bidders must satisfy under the Petroleum Code and the SNH Call for Expression of Interest.
Key Milestones in the Bidding Process
Although the licensing round was launched on 1 August 2025, the process is now approaching its final stages. With the data consultation period closing on 15 March 2026 and the bid submission deadline fixed for 30 March 2026, prospective bidders are in the critical phase of finalising their technical evaluation, corporate structuring and financing arrangements. At this stage, the focus is on the preparation of a compliant and competitive proposal. The Call for Expression of Interest sets out the procedural