Joint Development of Offshore Oil and Gas in the Gulf of Guinea: A Case of Energy Security for Nigeria and Cameroon

Abstract

The paper examines the concept and practice of Joint Development Agreement (JDA) as a modality upon which Nigeria and Cameroon can jointly and efficiently utilise their offshore resources to secure future demands and supply of energy resources in the Gulf of Guinea. Gulf of Guinea is now regarded as one of the world’s most important oil and gas producing region. Exploration and development activities in the region have increased significantly following the discovery of enormous reserves. The paper argues that the conflict between Nigeria and Cameroon was stimulated by the expectation of offshore resources in the area, which finally ended in litigation at International Court of Justice (ICJ). The combined effects of ICJ’s judgement in 2002 and the continuous demands of energy resources by both parties made it possible to consider alternative arrangement. The paper further argues that the concept of JDA is currently utilised in almost all the regions of the world either as an alternative to boundary delimitation or in some instances in addition to maritime boundary. The paper suggests that both States can benefit from the concept considering the oil and gas deposits straddling their delimited maritime boundaries as delimitation is not necessary a panacea to offshore resources conflicts. The paper however relies on primary and secondary sources of data and the analysis is descriptive. It recommends for presence of political will, strong arrangements on sharing of resources and regard to precedents in the region which plays a vital role for any meaningful arrangement.

KEYWORDS: Gulf of Guinea, Energy Security, Oil and Gas, Maritime Boundary, Joint Development