Kinshasa Orders a Full Review of Its Shared Oil Zone With Angola
The DR Congo cabinet has asked for an in-depth report on the offshore zone it shares with Angola, and on an unresolved question of deep-water access. The post Kinshasa Orders a Full Review of Its Shared Oil Zone With Angola appeared first on The Rio Times .
On 14 August, the Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC) cabinet endorsed the operationalization of the Zone d'Interet Commun (ZIC), a shared oil zone with Angola. President Felix Tshisekedi instructed two ministers to report on the file's status before exploration begins. The ZIC's governance accord was signed in July 2023 and ratified by DRC law in November 2007.
Revenue from the zone is shared equally between the two countries. On 22 July 2026, an amendment to the production-sharing contract was signed in Luanda. The Congo-Angola oil zone has not moved to drilling, and the DR Congo's cabinet asked for a report on the file's status. The maritime boundary around the Congo River mouth is contested, and the cabinet's request for a report on deep-water access indicates that it remains open.
The production-sharing contract for Block 14/23 was signed in December 2023, with Chevron's Angolan subsidiary, CABGOC, holding 31 percent. The consortium includes Azule Energy (20 percent), ETU Energias (20 percent), Angola's Sonangol (10 percent), DRC's Sonahydroc (10 percent), and Portugal's Galp (9 percent). The DR Congo's Atlantic frontage is about 37 kilometers wide, and the shared zone exists to pool a defined area and split its revenue.
A figure of about US$2.78 billion for the DR Congo has circulated, representing half of an estimate the DRC finance ministry made in October 2024.
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