Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation Signs MoU With Nigeria’s FIRST E&P to Assess Mnazi Bay North Block

The Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Nigeria’s FIRST Exploration & Petroleum Development Company (FIRST E&P) for collaboration on the Mnazi Bay North Block in southern Tanzania.

The MoU, which will last for nine months, was signed on July 18, 2025, at TPDC’s head office in Dodoma in the presence of the Commissioner for Petroleum and Gas from the Ministry of Energy, Godluck Shirima.

The agreement aims to facilitate technical assessment and potential development of the Mnazi Bay North area by enabling knowledge and experience sharing between the two parties.

FIRST E&P will fully fund the assessment phase as part of its commitment to exploring the block’s gas potential and progressing toward a license agreement for future production activities.

Ademola Adeyemi-Bero, Managing Director and CEO of FIRST E&P, said the partnership aligns with the company’s strategy to expand outside Nigeria based on its technical expertise and successful track record.

He noted: “We believe Tanzania holds world-class hydrocarbon resources and its strategic location positions it as a natural energy hub for the region.”

He added that with the right investments and partnerships, Tanzania could support cross-border energy distribution and strengthen regional energy security across Sub-Saharan Africa.

TPDC stated that the MoU is a key step toward building strategic cooperation that benefits both parties and contributes to the country’s energy development goals.

The Mnazi Bay

The Mnazi Bay development zone, located in the Ruvuma Basin near the border with Mozambique, is one of Tanzania’s main natural gas hubs and currently supplies gas to the Mtwara–Dar es Salaam pipeline and local power plants.

The existing Mnazi Bay Concession is operated by Maurel & Prom in partnership with TPDC. According to the latest figures, it holds recoverable reserves of 641 Billion Cubic Feet (BCF), while the northern block covered by the MoU remains underexplored.

TPDC, established in 1980, is the national oil company responsible for managing petroleum resources and implementing upstream, midstream, and downstream projects under the Ministry of Energy.

FIRST E&P, based in Lagos, is an independent oil and gas company operating offshore Nigeria. It has developed the Anyala–Madu field in the Niger Delta and achieved first oil in 2020.

The agreement marks the company’s first engagement in East Africa and is part of its regional expansion strategy.