Ghana's national oil company is talking with at least three foreign companies, including BP, who have expressed interest in a stake in the country's offshore Jubilee field. The talks are being held in anticipation that ExxonMobil's attempt to buy the stake may fail.

Senior Ghanaian officials say that there is also interest from Total and a Chinese company - understood to be CNOOC - in buying the stake that is now held by Kosmos Energy. Ghana National Petroleum Corporation officials have made it clear they do not approve of an agreement for Exxon to buy Kosmos's stake.