AFR.L Regulatory News (AFR)

Afren plc (AFR LN)

Exploration drilling commences offshore Ghana

London, 6 February 2012 - Afren plc ("Afren" or the "Company") announces that operator Eni Ghana exploration and production Ltd. has commenced drilling of the Nunya-1X exploration well on the Keta block, located offshore Ghana.

Afren today announces thatEni Ghana exploration and production Ltd. ("Eni"), operator of the Keta block which is located in the Volta River Basin offshore Eastern Ghana, has commenced drilling of the Nunya-1X (formerly named Cuda-2) exploration well with the Marianas semi-submersible drilling rig. The Nunya prospect is a four-way dip closed structure with a primary reservoir target comprising Upper Cretaceous deep-marine fan sandstones that are analogous to those that have yielded significant discoveries elsewhere along the West Africa Transform Margin.

Following the farm out in 2011 of a 35 per cent. participating interest in the Keta block and transfer of operatorship to Eni, Afren has a 35 per cent participating interest in the block.

Full ownership of the Keta block is:

Osman Shahenshah, Chief Executive of Afren, commented:

"We are pleased to have commenced drilling at the Nunya prospect offshore Ghana where we are looking to test the regionally proven Upper Cretaceous play that has yielded successful results elsewhere along the West Africa Transform Margin. Having made a successful start to our 2012 exploration drilling campaign with the Okoro East discovery, and with the JS-2 exploration well drilling ahead in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, the Company is firmly engaged in its most active phase of exploration activity to date with multiple wells planned across Afren's core areas, each of which has the potential to materially increase the Company's discovered reserves base."

Notes to Editors

Afren is an independent upstream oil and gas exploration and production company listed on the main market of the London Stock Exchange and constituent of the Financial Times Stock Exchange Index of the leading 250 UK listed companies. Afren has a portfolio of 29 assets across 12 countries spanning the full cycle E&P value chain. Afren is currently producing from its assets offshore Nigeria and Côte d'Ivoire and holds further interests in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, Ghana, Nigeria, Côte d'Ivoire, Congo Brazzaville, the Joint Development Zone of Nigeria - São Tomé & Príncipe, Kenya, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Seychelles, Tanzania and South Africa. For more information please refer to www.afren.com