Eni has entered a new agreement for work in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) through the acquisition of 55 per cent of the Ndunda block.

The company's stake in the block will also see it take operatorship and Eni notes that the deal has already been sanctioned by the country's authorities.

In the Ndunda block, Eni is partnering Surestream RDC Sarl, which has a 30 per cent stake, state-owned Cohydro, which has an eight per cent stake, and Ibos Sprl, which controls the remaining seven per cent.

Eni already has a presence in the sub-Saharan region and aside from oil operations, it runs a number of development programmes across social, medical and agricultural sectors.

The company notes that it works to transfer technology and know-how to locals and helps to improve regional energy infrastructure through the use of advanced technologies.

The Democratic Republic of Congo is one of a number of African countries currently developing its presence as an oil producing nation. Ghana in particular is capitalising on recently discovered oil reserves.

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