The Sierra Leone government has provisionally awarded oil licenses to Innoson Oil and Gas and Cluff Energy Africa following the conclusion of its fourth licensing round.

Innoson Oil and Gas, a Nigeria based company was awarded Blocks 96, 97, 114, 115, 116, 117, 133, 134 and 135, while Cluff Energy was awarded Blocks 23, 24, 25, 36, 37, 38, 39, 54, 55, 56, 57, 74, 75, 94 and 95. 

The blocks awarded were focused around Sierra Leone’s continental shelf, with Cluff taking the northern blocks close to Guinea, while Innoson’s acreage is towards the south and close to Liberia.

A statement from the Sierra leone presidency said there had been six applications for offshore concessions in the round, which has been launched in January 2018.

Sierra Leone carried out a detailed assessment of companies bidding, it said, including their capacity to operate in such an environment and commitment to local content.

Innoson is based in Nigeria and is part of the IVM Innoson Group, which works in a number of sectors including car manufacturing and wood processing. The oil and gas unit was established in 2019.