In the 6 countries covered by this paper, valid petroleum rights at the end of 1981 amounted to 2,024,414 km² or 7% more than at the end of 1980. As far as the rightholding situation is concerned, the main event was the abandonment by Esso of all its rights in Libya.

Information on exploration activity remains scarce, but it is estimated that seismic activity increased by 35%. Large air-magnetometry surveys were carried out in Sudan and Egypt.

Exploration drilling activity continued to increase, with 169 wells completed versus 115 in 1980. This effort led to 67 oil and gas discoveries, a success rate of about 40% compared with 35% in 1980. All these discoveries were made in established producing provinces. Highly successful results were obtained in the Gulf of Suez with 1 gas and 19 oil discoveries compared with 4 discoveries in 1980. Good success was also obtained by ONAREP, the new Moroccan state company, with 5 gas discoveries out of 11 wells spudded during the year. Chevron continued to find oil in the interior basins of Sudan, and expects commercial production in 1984 from the Unity field, which has reserves estimated at 400 million bbl of oil.

Oil production markedly decreased by about 23%, with an average of 2,820,000 BOPD in 1981. Oil output decreased in all the North African countries except Egypt, where it increased 8%.

Utilized natural gas production can be estimated at about 2,300 MMCFGD. Sonatrach published official figures for gross gas production in 1981 which amounted to 4,420 MMCFGD, of which about 2,000 MMCFGD were collected and utilized.