Petroleum laws in Africa are mostly structured to reflect the value chain of petroleum activities. In other words, the legislation is a sequence reflecting the normal life span of a successful petroleum project. Its purpose is to provide the rules which govern petroleum activities in a Host Nation and how they are regulated.

In line with international best practice, the petroleum legislation must encompass the contractual and fiscal regime for petroleum activities in line with the legislative framework of the Host Nation and international best practice for petroleum operations.  Thus, the preliminary section of most petroleum laws, contain general provisions on the scope of the law and the policy aims and objectives of the Host Nation in developing its petroleum resources.