The Government of The Gambia has appointed seasoned oil and gas professional, Cany Jobe, as Director-General of the Gambia Petroleum Commission, a move widely seen as a strong signal of the country’s ambition to deepen its presence in West Africa’s energy landscape.
The Gambia Petroleum Commission serves as the regulator for upstream and midstream petroleum activities, with responsibilities spanning oversight of exploration operations, management of national petroleum resources, enforcement of industry laws and policies, and the promotion of local content to drive sustainable development.
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Jobe brings 18 years of industry experience to the role, with deep expertise in policy development, governance, strategic planning and public administration.
Prior to her appointment, she had served since 2020 as Director of Exploration and Production at the Gambia National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), the state-owned oil company.
In that capacity, she advised the government on both conventional energy projects and emerging energy opportunities, including helium, hydrogen and carbon storage, while leading the structuring, negotiation and execution of major exploration partnerships with international oil companies.
She began her career at GNPC in 2008 as a reservoir petroleum engineer and steadily advanced through key leadership roles, including Head of Reservoirs and Upstream Manager between 2017 and 2020.
She also served as Secretary to the Board of Directors and as Acting Head of Administration and Human Resources, reflecting a rare blend of technical and managerial competence.
Beyond The Gambia, Jobe has built an impressive international profile. Her experience includes stints as a petroleum engineer with Venezuela’s PDVSA, an engineering internship with Taiwan’s CPC Corporation, and contributions to a major Australian offshore gas project in the Browse Basin, home to an estimated 15.9 trillion cubic feet of gas reserves.
Academically, Jobe holds a Master’s degree with distinction in Petroleum and Gas Engineering from the University of Western Australia, a Bachelor’s degree in Materials and Mineral Resources Engineering from the National Taipei University of Technology, and a Master’s degree in International Project Management in Construction, Energy, Oil and Gas from Glasgow Caledonian University, Scotland.
She is a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers and the Association of Project Managers, and an alumna of several international development and leadership programmes, underscoring her standing as one of Africa’s notable energy professionals.
