good for cvi

Angola's Sonangol highlighted the changing mindset when it hinted recently that only domestic companies would be allowed to apply for a new round of licenses to explore the prized Kwanza Basin.

Authorities there and in Nigeria – sub-Saharan Africa's two largest oil producers – have expressed frustration over the dominance of large multinationals.

Royal Dutch Shell and ExxonMobil are among those seen by critics to enjoy too large a role in Africa's oil patch, and governments are demanding that big as well as small firms partner with state enterprises to even the playing field.

“This is the new reality we live in,” John Doran, chief executive of Australia's Roc Oil Ltd., said at the conference. Roc Oil is drilling in Angola in partnership with Sonangol.

Africa's state oil firms, however, remain at a disadvantage in terms of the technology and expertise they offer, limiting the leverage they can apply.

A perception that Africa's public oil sector is more prone to corruption also hampers the drive toward greater national control of exploration and drilling activities.

With their relationship Petro Energy Africa.