Kosmos was the focus of a documentary Big Men that followed the company as it worked to establish the Jubilee oil field in Ghana.

[4][5] Kosmos Energy was established in 2003 by founding partners James C. Musselman, Brian F. Maxted, W. Greg Dunlevy, and Paul Dailly.

[11] The company and its operations in Ghana, around the time of the Jubilee discovery and work to develop the field, was the focus of Rachel Boynton's 2013 documentary-film Big Men.

[15] Kosmos began a controversial oil drilling project in the Cape Bojador area in 2014 off the coast of the disputed territory of Western Sahara.

[16][18] Kosmos officials also told media it recognized that its work in the area must occur alongside UN-led mediation.

[18][19] A Kosmos official told Reuters, "If we are successful, we believe responsible resource development has the potential to create significant social and economic benefits for Western Sahara and its people.

In June 2016, the Financial Times quoted Kosmos correspondence with the Council on Ethics: "We fundamentally disagree with the council's assessment of our activities offshore Western Sahara, where we have spent considerable time on the ground working with local people to understand their views of oil and gas exploration.

The council's decision fails to recognize that people in Western Sahara—whom we have met in hundreds of face-to-face conversations—want the economic opportunities that come from increased foreign investment.

"[16] In February 2018, Kosmos announced its withdrawal from Morocco and Western Sahara, marking the end of 17 years of companies in the oil sector there.

[26] Senegal and Mauritania signed a cooperation agreement to allow for Kosmos and BP to develop gas resources shared by the two counties in February 2018.

[9] As of 2021, Kosmos Energy produces oil and gas in Equatorial Guinea, Ghana and the Gulf of Mexico, and has a license to explore in one block offshore São Tomé and Príncipe.

[42] The 2021 transaction was subject to a 30 day pre-emption period, which was exercised by Tullow Oil reducing Kosmos' total interest in Jubilee to 38.3% and TEN to 19.8%.

[43] In October 2017, Kosmos entered a 50:50 joint venture with Trident Energy to acquire Hess Corporation's interest in the Ceiba Field and Okume Complex assets offshore Equatorial Guinea.

[53] Company officials said this discovery confirmed that the Tortue gas resource, which is also called Ahmeyim, straddles the maritime boundary between Senegal and Mauritania.

[25] Kosmos and BP have a farm-out agreement over the joint gas discovery in Mauritania and Senegal, as well as future exploration.

[54] At the end of 2018, Kosmos Energy announced a final investment decision for phase 1 of the Greater Tortue Ahmeyim LNG Project alongside BP.

[61][65] In October 2013, Kosmos reached a farm-out deal with Cairn Energy subsidiary Capricorn Exploration & Development Company Ltd.

[66] While it did not find oil, the company said there was evidence of a working petroleum system and the well provided important seismic calibration details.

[73][74] According to The Wall Street Journal, the survey was "one of the biggest offshore oil exploration efforts of its kind in the region".

[75] Kosmos Energy had an offshore license in Congo-Brazzaville for the Marine XXI block, which covered more than 2,300 square km.

The company signed a production sharing agreement with Congo-Brazzaville and the Société Nationale des Pétroles du Congo.

[79] It trades on the New York and London stock exchanges under the ticker symbol KOS and, as of 2018, employed about 380 workers globally.

The program supports young entrepreneurs working to improve the agriculture, livestock, fisheries sectors and Senegal's overall economy.

[95] Kosmos donated $67,500 worth of equipment to Polytechnic College of Suriname in 2016, to be used in its undergraduate Mechanical Engineering and Infrastructure programs.

[96] In 2017, the company donated $56,600 worth of equipment for students studying mineral production at Anton de Kom University of Suriname.

[97] Kosmos has worked with international security company Safe Start to develop and deliver a safety training program for technical schools in the country.