President Adama Barrow has revealed that his government spent $100 million on drilling two offshore oil wells—Samo-1 and Bambo-1—but no commercially viable oil or gas was discovered.
The announcement was made during his 2025 State of the Nation Address, where Barrow emphasized that despite the lack of commercial success, the results from the exploration were “promising and positive,” and that efforts to explore The Gambia’s offshore potential will continue.
> “A total of five wells have been test-drilled in The Gambia. Two of those were drilled under my administration in partnership with FAR and Petronas,” Barrow explained.
Samo-1 was drilled in 2018, and Bambo-1 followed in 2021. According to the president, the two international oil companies have since withdrawn from The Gambia after fulfilling their contractual obligations, which centered on the drilling process.
Barrow also highlighted another significant deal involving British energy giant BP, which was awarded an exploration licence in 2019. BP paid the Gambian government $10 million as a signature bonus. However, when the company decided to withdraw from the project, it paid an additional $30 million as a penalty for failing to meet its licence commitments.
The president said BP’s decision to pull out was tied to a global shift in the company’s focus—from oil and gas to renewable energy—particularly following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Looking ahead, Barrow reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to building strong legal and institutional frameworks to attract investors to the country’s offshore energy sector. He stressed that oil and gas remain part of a broader strategy to ensure energy security for the Gambian people.
> “We will continue to invest in electricity, renewable energy, petroleum exploration, and mineral resource management to ensure long-term sustainability,” he said.
