Countries endowed with oil and gas hope these resources will lift their economies. They create national oil companies (NOCs) to act as vehicles for national participation in the oil and gas sector, to capture a greater share of the resource rents and act as catalysts for the implementation of broader development goals. The fulfilment of these aspirations depends on the technical and commercial ability of the NOCs, as well as the operational environment provided by their governments. The ability of NOCs to carry out their mandate should therefore be assessed, as should the inducements offered by their government. This study proposes a methodology to evaluate and benchmark the performance of African NOCs, taking into account the regulatory and policy environment in which they operate. It also offers pathways for enhancing their processes and capabilities.
This report was drafted for the African Development Bank. The below document is the authors’ manuscript completed in January 2020. The final report was published by the AfDB on 17 June 2021 and is available on the AfDB website.
