Exxon Mobil said on Wednesday it signed an agreement with the government of Gabon to explore for oil and gas off the coast of the central African country.
The memorandum of understanding, a non-binding agreement, marks an expansion of the top U.S. oil major's activities in Africa. The company has operations in Nigeria, Angola and Mozambique, though it made a decision in 2022 to exit Equatorial Guinea.
An Exxon spokesperson said in a statement that the company will work with the Gabonese government to explore deepwater and ultra-deepwater offshore areas for oil and gas.
In August, Exxon reached an agreement with Trinidad and Tobago to explore deepwater areas, marking the oil producer's return to the country in more than 20 years.
(Reuters - Reporting by Sheila Dang in Houston; editing by Chizu Nomiyama )