State-owned Gabon Oil Company (GOC) has acquired the Gabonese assets of US private equity firm Carlyle, the owner of Gabon-focused oil and gas company, Assala Energy.
Assala Energy has seven onshore production licenses in Gabon, of which it operates six, in addition to owning a pipeline network and the Gamba export terminal. As the country’s second-largest producer, the company focuses on brownfield assets in Gabon.
In August 2023, French oil company Maurel & Prom agreed to acquire Assala’s assets from private equity firm Carlyle for $730 million. However, in November, Gabon Oil Company exercised its pre-emption rights to purchase Assala instead.
“This is an exceptional opportunity to position the GOC as a key player in the oil sector and to have better visibility on the selling price of our oil,” stated Gabonese President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema.
