Ivory Coast Interested in Buying Oil

Ivorian Oil Minister Thierry Tanoh communicated his country's interest in purchasing Iranian crude oil and expanding bilateral energy ties in a meeting with Iran's ambassador to Ivory Coast, Mansour Shakibmehr. The officials met at embassy in Abidjan, the economic capital of West Africa's largest economy, ISNA reported on Friday. "We are interested in Iran's crude oil and also seek to engage in gas projects," Tanoh said without elaboration. Ivory Coast is a minor oil producer with approximately 53,000 barrel-per-day output. The energy -rich nation has been an important supplier of energy to the sub-Saharan region due to its reserves of natural gas and excess power generation capacity. However, it is a minor oil producer. Data show the country's daily oil output reached 53,000 barrels in 2016 from around just 30,000 bpd in the previous year.