Yoyo/Yolanda gas fields project: Kickoff imminent as Cameroon, E. Guinea sign Unitisation Agreement.

The countries signed the agreement, described as a milestone in bilateral relations, in Malabo, on February 3, 2026.

Cameroon’s Interim Minister of Mines, Industry and Technological Development, Prof Fuh Calistus Gentry, signed the historic agreement on behalf of government, while the Vice President of Equatorial Guinea, H.E Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, signed for his country. 

Prof Fuh Calistus was accompanied by Nathalie Moudiki, the representative of the Executive General Manager of the National Hydrocarbons Corporation, SNH.

The minister’s delegation also included the Director of Mines of Cameroon’s mines ministry, the Ambassador of Cameroon to the Equatorial Guinea, and several other officials in the country’s oil and gas sectors. 

On the other side, the signing was witnessed by the Prime Minister of Equatorial Guinea, H.E Manuel Osa Nsue; the United States Ambassador to Equatorial Guinea, as well as senior executives from Chevron, SNH, and GEPetrol. 

The event also featured the signing of an agreement by the heads of the hydrocarbon departments of both countries, followed by the signing of representatives from Chevron, GEPetrol and the Cameroonian company SNH.

Enter E. Guinea vice President 

Speaking after the signing, the Vice President of Equatorial Guinea, H.E Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, said with the agreement, both countries are taking further step towards consolidating a historic relationship of mutual benefit, which strengthens regional stability and reinforces the trust that is so important between neighbouring states.

“The agreement we are signing today represents a historic step in the process of strategic cooperation between our two nations,” Obiang Mangue said. 

He said the successes of the agreement demonstrate that sincere cooperation is the most direct path to the effective management of shared natural resources.

“The Yoyo-Yolanda field is much more than a gas deposit. It represents the institutional maturity of our States and the ability to transform a cross-border geological challenge into a shared opportunity for prosperity, stability and sustainable development,” he stated. 

The Vice President stated the legal framework provides confidence to States and operators, while preventing potential future disputes.

On his part, Minister Fuh Calistus hailed the Heads of State of both nations for the making the major gas project, which will be of strategic importance to both governments and its citizens, a reality.

He said the project bears the mark of a shared desire between the two countries, united by geography and history, to strengthen their cooperation in the hydrocarbons sector. 

Understanding road to signing of agreement 

The move signals the imminent take off of the project which President Paul Biya and his counterpart of Equatorial Guinea, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, engaged in March 2023.

The agreement comes two months after the Equatorial Guinean Vice President's visit to Yaounde, where he discussed the terms with the Cameroon’s Head of State, His Excellency Paul Biya. 

The signing also follows series of strategic legal steps and technical meetings between both parties, which helped to clarify grey areas that could slow the project which is estimated at 2,500 billion cubic metre of gas; with 84% allocated to Cameroon and 16% to Equatorial Guinea.

The strategic cooperation, officials said, aims to strengthen the regional positioning of both nations and ensure equitable collaboration between the two countries.

It was disclosed that with the signing of the historic agreement, several developments are expected.

Officials mentioned the installation of a natural gas processing platform within the Yoyo CPP perimeter, the drilling of development wells, the construction of export pipelines, and the final processing of gas carried out separately at Punta Europa and Bipaga.

With the signing of the Unitisation Agreement, officials said the next milestone will be the signing of the Operating Agreement.

Minister Fuh Calistus visits natural gas refinery

Prior to the signing, Prof Fuh Calistus used the first day of his working visit to tour the Punta Europa natural gas refinery, one of Central Africa’s major industrial hubs. 

The facility hosts a hydrocarbons terminal and a Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) plant that exports gas from the Alba and Alen fields. 

The complex also processes gas for export in the form of LNG, condensates, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and methanol. 

Revisiting earlier progress in Yoyo/Yolanda project

During the visit to Cameroon of H.E Obiang Mangue to Cameroon in 2025, SNH officials had presented progress made in the cross-border gas project.

It was revealed that after 2023 deal between both Heads of State, the two leaders had ratified the bilateral agreement and deposited its instruments at the United Nations General Secretariat in New York.

Both nations, it was said, had also settled on the relevant provisions applicable, particularly regarding the fiscal management of the unitised resources, volumetric management, development plans, local content, security, and the environment. 

It was also detailed that teams from both nations are preparing a natural gas processing platform with two pipelines planned for export, while the final gas treatment will be carried out separately.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3693 of Wednesday February 04, 2026