Petroleum production in Africa declined to 13,944,529 barrels in 1955 as compared with 15,241,582 barrels in 1954. All three producing countries (Algeria, Egypt, and Morocco) showed individual declines.

Exploration activity in Africa continued to increase in 1955. Important oil or gas discoveries were made in Algeria, Angola, French Cameroun, Egypt, French Equatorial Africa, Morocco, and Nigeria. A total of 790,781 feet of drilling was carried out during the year and 52 drilling rigs were in operation at the end of the year. Ninety exploratory wells were completed with a success percentage of 13 per cent; 41 development wells were completed with a success percentage of 63 per cent.

Geological-geophysical exploratory work in Africa in 1955 was distributed by party-months of various types of exploration as follows: surface geology 464, seismograph 424, gravity 154, ground magnetometer 39, airborne magnetometer 11, telluric 13, and structure drill 32. Active petroleum exploration was carried out in Algeria, Angola, Belgian Congo, French Cameroun, Egypt, Ethiopia, French Equatorial Africa, French West Africa, Gambia, Gold Coast, Kenya, Libya, Madagascar, Morocco, Spanish Morocco, Mozambique, Nigeria, Somalia, British Somaliland, Sudan, Tanganyika, Tunisia, Union of South Africa, and Zanzibar.