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Regulatory Risk, Reputation, and the New Role of Comms in Africa (By Laila Bastati)

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Why communications is now a compliance function – and what African markets reveal about risk, regulation, and trust in 2025

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, August 6, 2025/APO Group/ —By Laila Bastati, Chief Commercial Officer, APO Group (www.APO-opa.com).

Strategic communications is in a pressure phase. Regulation is moving faster. Investors are watching harder. And public backlash arrives in hours, not days.

Across industries, communications is no longer just about visibility – it’s about viability. For leaders in Africa’s most dynamic sectors, comms has become a frontline function for managing regulatory complexity, investor expectations, and social trust. It’s no longer optional. It’s operational.

In Africa, where younger regulatory systems can be fragmented and enforcement uneven, this shift is sharper. A missed message doesn’t just weaken reputation but risks investor confidence, compliance, and public trust – making strategic comms no longer optional. It’s operational.

In PRCA Africa and APRA’s 2024 report on the state of PR and ethics in Africa, risk preparedness comes out as a leading communications challenge across the continent. It’s an insight echoed in APO Group’s own client data. In the first half of 2025, demand for reputational crisis support rose significantly. A dipstick poll of our 57,000+ LinkedIn network also flagged energy and sustainability, and tech and digital as sectors in need of attention in Africa. The takeaway: visibility alone is no longer enough.

Here are three sectors where the pressure is most acute.

1. Energy and sustainability: ESG expectations without the guardrails

With COP30 approaching and ESG frameworks being reassessed globally, African energy players are under the pump. The EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) has been delayed, while the US SEC has scaled back ESG disclosure rules. Meanwhile, the UN’s 2025 SDG Progress Report shows that only 15% of goals are on track.

In this vacuum, the narrative is up for grabs. From Nigeria’s diversification strategy to South Africa’s unbundling reforms and Namibia’s green push, communicators must now translate ambiguity into trust-building messaging. And sustainability communications must stand up to activist, investor, and local scrutiny without the cushion of global consensus.

Done well, communications can be an organisation’s operating system for trust, alignment, and action

2. Tech and digital: AI moves faster than the messaging

In Kenya, Nigeria, and Ghana, AI adoption is racing ahead of legislation. This puts PR teams on the front line: managing deepfake risk, public confusion over AI applications, and the reputational implications of algorithmic bias – all before regulatory frameworks are finalised. Without this certainty, legal and compliance voices are prone to shaping communications more conservatively.

The next frontier is electoral interference: with several African nations holding elections in 2025, concerns are mounting that AI-generated misinformation, including deepfakes, could be used to manipulate public sentiment or discredit political figures. Already, the African Union and Kenya’s National Cohesion and Integration Commission have raised early warnings about AI-driven disinformation campaigns seeded through social media networks. For PR teams, this means that election-year communications strategies must now include real-time fact-checking, media training to counter visual manipulation, and crisis protocols for false attribution.

Meanwhile, Kenya’s Data Protection Act and other regional privacy laws are reshaping how companies communicate consent and transparency. Cybersecurity threats are now regular boardroom topics, and PR teams must respond with proactive, trust-driven messaging strategies.

3. Financial services: Rebuilding trust in a high-friction regulatory era

As Africa’s fintech sector matures, communications leaders are navigating not just launch PR, but investor confidence issues and consumer trust erosion. The Central Bank of Nigeria’s mobile money rules and the East African Community’s cross-border payments integration are prompting firms to localise trust messaging in real time.

In Ghana, the Bank of Ghana suspended the operations of several digital lenders in 2024 over breaches of consumer protection rules. This came after a spike in complaints about predatory loan terms and data privacy violations. The fallout damaged public trust and exposed a gap in crisis preparedness: many brands lacked clear communication during enforcement and struggled to rebuild credibility. In 2025, those that recovered best were the ones who treated communications as a regulatory ally, not an afterthought.

What next: Strategy, not sentiment

From image-building to operational discipline, comms leaders across sectors must recalibrate. High-performing teams embed communications into policy forecasts, regulatory roadmaps, and investor dialogues – not just campaigns. And responses must be turned around in hours, not days.

Done well, communications can be an organisation’s operating system for trust, alignment, and action – and in 2025, the difference between proactive and reactive comms is reputational survival.

APO Group’s work across 54 African markets shows: comms delayed is opportunity lost. The question is no longer whether to elevate comms, but whether you’ve waited too long.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of APO Group Insights.

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Liberia to Preview Next Oil & Gas Licensing Round Strategy at Houston Investor Day

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The Liberia Petroleum Regulatory Authority will host operators, investors and partners in Houston on August 19 to preview future licensing opportunities and showcase the exploration potential of its offshore basins

HOUSTON, United States of America, August 7, 2026/APO Group/ –The Liberia Petroleum Regulatory Authority (LPRA) will present its strategy for the country’s next offshore licensing round at Liberia Investor Day Houston on August 19, bringing together international exploration companies, investors, service providers and energy leaders to discuss the next phase of Liberia’s upstream development.

Hosted in partnership with Energy Capital & Power, the event will provide a platform for the LPRA, led by Director General Hon. Marilyn T. Logan, to outline Liberia’s regulatory framework, investment priorities and plans to attract new participation across the country’s offshore sector. Discussions will focus on upcoming licensing opportunities, exploration prospects and the subsurface data supporting future investment decisions.

Liberia’s offshore sector is entering a new phase of exploration activity, with renewed international participation and a growing pipeline of opportunities. Following the award and ratification of eight Production Sharing Contracts in 2025, Liberia has re-established itself as a frontier exploration destination, with international operators advancing work programs designed to further evaluate the country’s petroleum potential. TotalEnergies is progressing exploration activities that include offshore geochemical surveys, 3D seismic acquisition and seabed mapping, while Oranto Petroleum has also signed contracts to explore Liberia’s offshore.

At the Liberia Investor Day Houston, the LPRA will provide industry stakeholders with insight into the priorities shaping the next licensing round, including the anticipated process, qualification requirements, available acreage and access to technical data. The engagement will give prospective investors a clearer view of Liberia’s exploration landscape and the opportunities emerging across its offshore basins.

The event will also facilitate direct dialogue between LPRA and the global upstream community, connecting companies with policymakers and industry stakeholders involved in shaping Liberia’s next chapter of petroleum development.

As exploration companies continue to seek new frontier opportunities, Liberia Investor Day Houston will highlight the role of regulatory certainty, data availability and strategic partnerships in unlocking long-term investment across Liberia’s offshore sector.

Registration is now open for attendees. Companies interested in Liberia’s emerging offshore opportunities are invited to join LPRA, investors and upstream leaders in Houston for insights into the country’s licensing strategy and exploration outlook. For more information contact info@energycapitalpower.com.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Energy Capital & Power.

 

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Beyond Stabroek: Guyana’s Offshore Basin Attracts New Wave of Exploration Investment

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Etu Energias

As ExxonMobil advances appraisal activity in Stabroek and new operators target frontier acreage, Guyana is attracting global capital and building a diversified offshore portfolio designed to sustain long-term growth

GEORGETOWN, Guyana, August 7, 2026/APO Group/ –Guyana’s transformation into one of the world’s fastest-growing oil producers is entering a new phase, with a growing network of IOCs expanding exploration activity across the country’s offshore basin. Beyond the landmark discoveries that first put Guyana on the global energy map, new drilling campaigns and licensing partnerships are creating a broader exploration ecosystem designed to support long-term production growth.

At the center of this momentum is ExxonMobil’s continued exploration and appraisal activity in the prolific Stabroek Block. The company has submitted a proposal for a 35-well exploration and appraisal drilling campaign, expected to run from 2028 through 2033, pending regulatory approval. The program would build on more than 30 commercial discoveries already made in the block, with drilling activity focused on evaluating new prospects and appraising existing discoveries to support future development opportunities.

Exploration activity is also extending into Guyana’s frontier acreage, with ExxonMobil advancing drilling operations at the deepwater Canje Block. The company has deployed the Noble Stena Carron drillship for exploration activity, highlighting continued industry interest in evaluating Guyana’s underexplored offshore potential beyond the established Stabroek Block.

Guyana’s strong exploration outlook comes as the country’s economy continues to benefit from rapid oil sector expansion, with hydrocarbons expected to remain a key driver of exports, government revenues and economic growth. As production scales up, attracting additional investment across exploration, services and infrastructure will be critical to supporting the next phase of development.

That momentum is being reinforced through partnerships established under Guyana’s 2023 offshore licensing round. A consortium comprising TotalEnergies, QatarEnergy and Petronas is advancing exploration activities in Block S4 under a five-year production sharing agreement signed with the government in late 2025. The award represents one of the first major outcomes of the licensing round and demonstrates continued international confidence in Guyana’s offshore resource potential.

Beyond the largest operators, a diverse group of companies is also expanding activity across Guyana’s offshore basin. Eco Atlantic is advancing exploration at the Orinduik Block; CGX Energy and Frontera Energy are progressing work in the Corentyne Block; Occidental is evaluating opportunities in the Roraima Block; while Ratio Guyana and Cataleya Energy hold interests in the Kaieteur Block. Together, these partnerships are broadening Guyana’s exploration landscape, increasing competition for acreage and creating opportunities for future discoveries.

As Guyana transitions from an emerging producer to a global energy hub, the next challenge will be converting exploration success into sustainable investment, local value creation and regional growth. These opportunities will be explored at Caribbean Energy Week 2027, held under the theme “Unlocking the Caribbean Energy Corridor: Oil, Gas, LNG & Investment for a New Global Hub.” Bringing together governments, IOCs, investors and technology providers, the event will examine how Guyana’s expanding partnerships can accelerate offshore development, strengthen regional energy cooperation and attract the capital needed to support the Caribbean’s evolving energy landscape.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Energy Capital & Power.

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Energy Capital & Power Establishes London Entity, Expanding Global Platform for Energy and Mining Events

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Energy

The move strengthens ECP’s presence in the UK and Europe, and its ability to connect African and South American markets with global investors

LONDON, United Kingdom, August 6, 2026/APO Group/ –International events company Energy Capital & Power (ECP) (www.EnergyCapitalPower.com) has officially established its UK entity in London, marking a milestone in the company’s growth strategy and reinforcing its ability to deliver world-class energy and mining events and campaigns in the UK and Europe.

By establishing a presence in a key hub like London – the pre-eminent energy and mining finance center – ECP actively shapes the global energy conversation. The expansion positions ECP to better serve clients, partners and investors seeking to develop business opportunities between Africa, Europe, the Americas and energy markets worldwide.

Opening our UK company brings ECP closer to key investors in the global energy finance capital

The milestone comes as ECP strengthens its reach through a series of investment platforms that connect global capital to energy and mining projects. These include the Venezuela Energy Week London Showcase on July 30 – with over 300 delegates registered – and the annual Invest in African Energy Forum, held in Paris as the premier event connecting global investors to Africa’s energy transformation.

ECP hosts high level summits and investor conferences in leading energy and minerals producing countries in Africa and South America, including: Venezuela Energy Week; Angola Oil & Gas; MSGBC Oil, Gas & Power; African Mining Week; Libya Energy & Economic Summit; Congo Energy & Investment Forum; South Sudan Oil & Power; and Caribbean Energy Week. The company has hosted investor forums and supported licensing round roadshows in Houston, London and Paris since 2016.

“Opening our UK company brings ECP closer to key investors in the global energy finance capital,” states CEO James Chester. “Having a permanent presence in London further cements our footprint in Europe, enabling us to fulfil our mission to bring minerals and energy investment to diverse global markets.”

With teams located across Africa, Europe and the Americas, ECP has long-facilitated strategic engagement, market intelligence and industry convening, uniting investors with leading energy and mining projects.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Energy Capital & Power.

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