JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, March 31, 2026/APO Group/ –The industry-wide boycott of the upcoming Africa Energies Summit will continue as the conference organizers Frontier Energy Network refuse to abandon their policy of discrimination. The Mozambique oil industry alongside petroleum ministers from the African Petroleum Producers Organization have already withdrawn from the conference, citing concerns over the treatment of Black professionals and broader local content issues. With Frontier – led by Daniel Davidson – refusing to address the company’s decision to not hire Black professionals and the continued exclusion of Black voices, the African Energy Chamber (AEC) (https://EnergyChamber.org) calls on the continued boycott of the event.

 

“Our narrative and voices matter. Any company that wants to operate in the continent with a mindset of excluding Africans will fail. That’s why Africans are staying away from Africa Energies Summit 2026 and I am pleased that the petroleum ministers I have talked to have supported us by staying away from being part of the anti-African meeting in London,” states NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman, AEC. “We thank the leadership of African ministers in their fight against this unjust behavior.”

Frontier’s discrimination sends an important message to the industry: now, more than ever, we have to prioritize local content and continue fighting for equality, skills development and fair practices. Several large-scale projects across the continent have already embedded local content within their developments. In the Republic of Congo, Wing Wah committed to boosting local content through the development of a training center aimed at equipping Congolese with skills to access to new jobs across the industry. Namibia’s cabinet approved an Upstream Local Content Policy to ensure that oil operations are inclusive and Africa-focused.

The East African Crude Oil Pipeline – spearheaded by TotalEnergies and China National Offshore Oil Corporation – has taken a holistic approach to local content by prioritizing three pillars: employment and training, procurement of local goods and services and proposals for technology transfer and capacity building. Recent industry moves reflect the impact of local content in Africa, with African entrepreneurs buying IOC assets. Oando acquired operatorship of Angola’s Block KON 13. Renaissance Africa Energy Holdings acquired Shell’s Nigerian assets. These highlight a growing trend of IOC-trained entrepreneurs taking over projects.

Nowhere has local content been more visible than Africa’s emerging natural gas sector. As Equinor looks at developing the $42 billion Tanzania LNG project, the company is already integrating local content within the project dynamics. Engagement with the Petroleum Upstream Regulatory Authorities is underway to develop Local Content Plans, while efforts to prioritize local contractors, suppliers and employees are in motion. The Greater Tortue Ahemyim project in Senegal and Mauritania – operating since 2025 – also featured specific local content components. A national technician training program was established, over 300 local companies were contracted with 3,000 jobs created, while community investment and knowledge transfer formed the backbone of the project.

Mozambique is showing similar momentum. All of the country’s major LNG projects – Coral, Mozambique LNG and Rovuma LNG – are prioritizing local content. Mozambique LNG alone plans to spend $4.5 billion on services contracted by Mozambican suppliers. South Africa’s recently introduced Draft Upstream Petroleum Resources Development Regulations reinforce mandatory local participation, requiring operators to submit plans for skills development, employment equity and procurement. These moves signal a continental push towards inclusion and collaborative energy partnerships.

“Across all of these projects, the AEC has been there fighting. International oil companies such as ExxonMobil, Chevron, bp and Eni have been some of the greatest champions of local content and STEM in Africa. Imagine if, after all the work they have done, conference producers send a message that the industry has no place for someone because of their skin color?” states Ayuk, adding “Seismic companies should also do their part. They have a horrible track record of not hiring and promoting Africans. I hope they change.”

During times such as this, legacy producers such as Angola, Nigeria, the Republic of Congo and Libya must continue championing local content, setting a strong example for other countries. On the other hand, emerging and frontier markets such as Liberia, Namibia, The Gambia, Sierra Leone and more have a strategic opportunity to embed local content within their regulatory and energy systems from the start. They must avoid the mistake of starting on the wrong foot.

“We can’t stop our relentless support for the oil industry. We must be 100% pro oil and pro local content,” Ayuk concluded.

NAIROBI, Kenya, March 31, 2026/APO Group/ —

• AHIC will be Africa’s collective voice of capital committed to sustainable hospitality investment
• AHIC will operate as an independent body within the EEA framework
• The EEA will provide the legal, governance, and operational foundation that ensures AHIC’s international credibility and compliance with global standards

 

Today at the FHS Nairobi (www.FutureHospitality.com/Africa) the Africa Hospitality Investors Council (AHIC), announced its creation and launch. AHIC will operate as an independent body within the EEA framework, governed by its own dedicated Board but powered by the EEA.

AHIC aims to be Africa’s collective voice of capital committed to sustainable hospitality investment, ensuring Africa’s hospitality sector has a visible and credible presence in global investment dialogues. AHIC will contribute a coordinated investor perspective to policy and market dialogue, improving the conditions for long-term investment, strengthening market confidence and supporting sustained economic value creation.

AHIC’s mission in the fast-growing African hospitality sector is to help build the foundations for sustainable, bankable, and scalable growth by unlocking a deeper pipeline of projects as attractive investment opportunities across the continent – for Africa, by Africa.

With EEA, which comprises 50,000 hotel assets with a global footprint at an approximate value of US$400bn, AHIC will coordinate engagement directly between ministries of finance, planning, infrastructure, tourism, trade and investment, and investors in Africa’s hospitality sector.

The EEA provides the legal, governance, and operational foundation that ensures AHIC’s international credibility and compliance with global standards, while safeguarding its regional autonomy. Through the EEA Capital Markets Committee, AHIC will help shape how sustainability, transition risk, and resilience are priced in African hospitality portfolios.

Africa’s hotel and lodging sector is positioned for substantial growth, supported by powerful demographic trends and rising demand for quality tourism and hospitality assets, yet faces a number of issues such as fragmented regulatory frameworks, uneven risk–return visibility, gaps in infrastructure provision, and limited transparency and disclosure standards.

AHIC’s mandate is to strengthen Africa’s position within global capital allocation by:

• Aligning investor perspectives with national and regional priorities for trade, tourism and economic growth, strengthening clarity on where and how capital can be deployed.
• Informing policy and regulatory frameworks through coordinated market insight, reflecting the realities of investment, development and operations across African markets.
• Advancing transparency, comparability and governance standards, enabling more consistent assessment of risk and strengthening investor confidence
• Supporting cross-border alignment of investment conditions, engaging with the African Union and Regional Economic Communities, including SADC, COMESA, AND ECOWAS to reduce fragmentation and improve market coherence

Hospitality assets form part of Africa’s export and trade architecture and considered economic infrastructure. They generate foreign exchange, enable mobility, activate local supply chains and create employment at scale. As one of the largest employers in the region and a significant source of revenue for national economies, the hospitality sector is key to Africa’s successful development. AHIC is committed to ensuring its investments benefit all segments across the local hospitality value chain. This includes AHIC working with its members to deliver low-carbon buildings, enhancing the motivation, benefits and training for all employees, reducing consumption of energy, water and resources, and the efficient management of waste. AHIC is dedicated to supporting the development of local talent and positively impacting job creation with quality job opportunities, helping to transform lives of local communities.

AHIC will aim to deliver four strategic outcomes:

• Mobilise African and global capital through a coordinated investor voice.
• Influence government policy to unlock investable projects.
• De-risk capital deployment across the hotel value chain in Africa.
• Strengthen transparency, disclosure, and procurement systems.

AHIC’s founding members are:

• Mossadeck Bally, Azalai Hotels Group
• Kamal Bensouda, Atlas Hospitality Group
• Ewan Cameron, Westmont Hotel Group
• Lara Dupre, Aichti Hotels
• Hamza Farooqui, Millat Investments
• Olivier Granet, Kasada Capital Management
• Sophia Lopez Benhamida, RISMA
• Paul Mack, Latitude Hotels
• Julien Renaud, Onomo Hotels
• Jameel Verjee, CityBlue Hotels
• Graham Wood, V & A Waterfront

AHIC will be a permanent, investor-led council — coordinating private capital alongside sovereign wealth funds, development finance institutions and multilateral partners.

LUANDA, Angola, April 2, 2026/APO Group/ –Diamantino Azevedo, Angola’s Minister of Mineral Resources, Petroleum and Gas, will once again headline the Angola Oil & Gas (AOG) Conference and Exhibition – taking place September 9-10 with a pre-conference day on September 8. The event comes at a time when new projects, renewed exploration and downstream expansion are reshaping the country’s oil and gas outlook, positioning it on the precipice of a new production cycle. Minister Azevedo’s participation reflects the government’s commitment to engaging investors, tackling industry challenges and advancing the country’s $70 billion upstream investment pipeline.

 

AOG 2026 arrives at a critical time for Angola’s oil and gas market. With key project milestones achieved in the first few months of 2026, the country is entering a new phase defined less by decline concerns and more by production stabilization, gas monetization and new investment opportunities. Just this month, the New Gas Consortium achieved first gas delivery from the Quiluma field – part of Angola’s first non-associated gas project – with initial output estimated at 150 million standard cubic feet per day. This followed the start of operations at the Ndungu field in February 2026, marking a key step forward in the broader Agogo Integrated West Hub Development.

Offshore momentum continues to define Angola’s upstream sector, with redevelopment programs, new agreements and exploration campaigns underway. A principles agreement was signed between the ANPG, TotalEnergies and ExxonMobil for the allocation of four blocks in the frontier Benguela and Namibe Basins in March, laying the foundation for the signing of the respective production sharing contracts. Angola’s Block 15/06 partners announced the Algaita-01 discovery in February 2026, with estimated reserves of 500 million barrels of oil. Sonangol, Afentra, Maurel & Prom and NIS Naftgas are advancing redevelopment activities at Blocks 3/05 and 3/05A, with plans for two infill wells in 2026. At Block 3/24, Afentra is eyeing FID in late 2026 or early 2027 as the company moves toward the development phase. The anticipated launch of the country’s next licensing round is expected to drive new investment in exploration.

Onshore exploration is also gaining traction. Corcel recently raised £3.6 million to accelerate its exploration program at KON 16 as it moves from seismic interpretation to drilling within the next 12 months. ReconAfrica is advancing geochemical sampling and permitting for a potential 2D seismic in the Damara Fold Belt, while Afentra is currently acquiring geophysical data to delineate the highly prospective KON 4 acreage. Recent months have also seen Nigeria’s Oando Energy Resources assume operatorship of Block KON 13, while Angola’s Sonangol is leading exploration activities at KON 11, KON 12 and KON 15. The Lower Congo basin is witnessing similar momentum, led by companies such as Etu Energias, ACREP and Walcot Energy.

Angola’s upstream drive is complemented by ambitions to strengthen the downstream sector. Following the start of operations at the Cabinda oil refinery in 2025, Angola is looking at bringing the 200,000 bpd Lobito refinery online in 2027. Preparations are also underway to develop the 100,000 bpd Soyo facility, with the country seeking foreign investment to complete these strategic projects.

With new production coming online, a licensing round on the horizon and refining capacity expanding, Angola is positioning itself as one of the few markets offering both near-term production growth and long-term exploration potential. Against this backdrop, AOG 2026 comes at a critical time for the global industry, as investors increasingly look to proven hydrocarbon basins with expansion potential, stable regulatory frameworks and clear project pipelines. In a tighter global supply environment, Angola is not just participating in the market – it is becoming increasingly central to it.