The Zanzibar government has completed offshore oil and natural gas exploration and has begun announcing the issuance of licenses and blocks for investors.

This announcement was made on March 18, 2024, by the Minister of Blue Economy and Fisheries of Zanzibar, Shaaban Ali Othman, who declared the launch of the first round of the licensing exercise scheduled for March 20 of this year on the islands.

The minister stated that the launch follows the completion of the evaluation process for allocating new blocks in the waters off the east coast of Zanzibar, amendments to the 2016 Law No. 6, and a review of the 2017 model production sharing agreement for oil and natural gas.

“As the minister responsible for oil and natural gas, I am pleased to announce that the preparations required for Zanzibar to start offering blocks to investors for oil and gas exploration and extraction are complete.

This means that Zanzibar is ready for the first round of block issuance in offshore areas to investors worldwide,” said Othman.

“This step in the block bidding process presents opportunities for investors who will contribute to strengthening Zanzibar’s economy and positioning it on the world map in the oil and natural gas sector.”