U.S. oil giant ExxonMobil Corp. (XOM) has bought Kosmos Energy's stake in oil blocks offshore Ghana that contain huge oil discoveries, a person familiar with the matter told Dow Jones Newswires Tuesday.

Other bidders for the stakes in the blocks, which include the Jubilee field estimated to hold 1.2 billion to 1.8 billion barrels of oil equivalent, have been informed by letter that Kosmos has entered into an exclusive arrangement with ExxonMobil, the person said.

"The Ghanaians should be very pleased," the person said. "They've got an embryonic oil industry," and now they have the involvement of one of the largest, most experienced and technically qualified oil companies, the person said.

Kosmos holds 30.875% of the West Cape Three Points Block and 18% of the Deepwater Tano block. Its partners are Tullow Oil PLC (TLW.LN) and Anadarko Petroleum Corp. (APC).

Company Web site: http://www.kosmosenergy.com

-By James Herron, Dow Jones Newswires; +44 (0)20 7842 9317; james.herron@dowjones.com