Oil, Gas and Energy Law Intelligence (www.ogel.org) invites submissions for a special issue on "Oil and Gas Law and Policy in West Africa". The guest editors of this special will be Professor Yinka Omorogbe a Nabo Graham Douglas Distinguished Professor of the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies and Tade Oyewunmi of the Centre for Climate Change, Energy and Environmental Law, UEF, Finland and Adepetun Caxton Martins Agbor & Segun, Lagos, Nigeria

Oil and Gas Law and Policy in West Africa

Over the last decade the international oil and gas industry has witnessed considerable changes from the dynamic price and investment cycles to emergence of relatively unknown or frontier countries announcing significant hydrocarbon discoveries, as well as traditional oil and gas importers becoming leading exporters. In the same vein, the West African sub-region has witnessed substantial increase in oil and gas related operations and activities, especially upstream. Examples of new licensing rounds in ‘frontier’ countries and discoveries from Ghana to Mauritania or Sierra Leone to Equatorial Guinea means that the region’s hydrocarbon and energy resources potential will generally remain high in the mid to long term. As at 2013, Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon accounted for over 52% of total crude oil production in Sub-Saharan Africa, whilst Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea and Ivory Coast accounted for over 83% of total natural gas production in Sub-Saharan Africa (US Energy Information Administration 2013).

Considering the enormous potentials of the sub-region as a hydrocarbon production province and the relatively low level of regional or national consumption and energy access, it becomes imperative to ask questions such as: (i) what are the current and emerging oil and gas law and policy trends in the relevant West African countries and how has such trends hindered or incentivised investments and development of the local or regional petroleum industry as well as economy; and (ii) what are the relevant institutional and regulatory framework(s), challenges and trends in the emerging hydrocarbon ‘frontier’ countries and the relatively well established ones. From upstream exploration and production to midstream and downstream sub-sectors of the respective petroleum industries’ in West Africa, there are peculiar trends and challenges relating to law and policy developments, as well as there are some similar experiences. The purpose of this Special OGEL Issue is to explore these and other related law and policy matters in the evolving petroleum industries in West Africa.

The following is a list of suggested topics (non-exhaustive) on which papers are invited:

* Comparative oil and gas law developments in West African countries

* Current trends and outlook for oil and gas regulation in specific countries

* Governance, institutional developments, economic reforms and challenges: an oil and gas law perspective

* The nexus between infrastructural developments, investments and the oil and gas law in West African countries

* Implications of maritime boundary and delimitation disputes on oil and gas industry growth and development

* Energy access and oil and gas discoveries in West Africa (country case studies)

* Oil and gas developments and environmental implications in West African countries: legal and regulatory issues

* Oil and gas developments and economic growth in West African countries

* Corporate social responsibility vs local content in the petroleum industry of West African Countries

* The International Energy Charter (2015) and its relevance and possible influence in respect of oil and gas developments in West African countries

The papers should be submitted by 1st October 2016 to the editors.

Contact details and profiles of the editors on the OGEL website here: https://www.ogel.org/news.asp?key=506