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Gabon: Positioning Oil & Gas as an Enabler of Countrywide Growth

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Gabon

Gabon is seeking to attract an influx of private capital and participation on the back of fortified infrastructure, greater financial inclusion of SMEs and the establishment of public-private partnerships

LIBREVILLE, Gabon, May 25, 2023/APO Group/ — 

With its economic indicators showing clear signs of recovery, and the current Parti Démocratique Gabonais (PDG) set to retain power after this year’s elections, Gabon’s economic plans (https://apo-opa.info/3q5SqcV) are moving ahead at full speed.

Under its 2025 Plan for an Emerging Gabon (PSGE), the country is seeking to facilitate the influx of private capital and participation in both the hydrocarbons value chain and diversified industrial base, leveraging private sector growth to fuel diversification into non-oil sectors like gas, infrastructure, timber, ecotourism and mining.

The cornerstone of these plans are ongoing initiatives to develop more resilient infrastructure, improve the ease of doing business and support training and education, all in a bid to make it more attractive for private investors to enter and operate in Gabon.

Gabon has implemented wide-ranging legal and regulatory reforms to make its operating environment more conducive to new investment

Despite the country’s largest industry – oil – being the source of asphalt, and its second-largest industry – logging – being dependent on roads, Gabon has limited physical infrastructure outside of a few urban centers, leaving much of the country cut off from industrialized growth and inhibiting connections to water and electricity. To address this problem, the government is seeking to unbundle the Gabon Energy and Water Company (SEEG) and deregulate the utilities sector, allowing private players to enter the market and improving access by households and businesses. The government also created its first special economic zone (SEZ) at Nkok near the deep-sea port of Owendo, providing access to water and electricity and on-site legal and financial services to local and foreign investors. Last April, plans were announced for a third such zone in the south-eastern province of Haut-Ogooué, specifically aimed at attracting investment in agriculture, forestry and mining, promoting economic diversification, boosting exports, and generating up to 4,000 jobs in the underdeveloped south of the country.

The Gabonese government has also been working collaboratively with the private sector to improve the ease of doing business, setting up a network of business incubators that assist entrepreneurs with feasibility studies, market studies, business plans, accounting and vocational training (https://apo-opa.info/3qeyu7W), as well as providing qualified access to capital by bringing together project leaders and potential investors. To consolidate these gains and prepare younger generations for a more economically integrated future, the Multisectoral Center for Vocational Education and Training (CIMFEP) was launched in 2021 to match local skills with the projected needs of private sector diversification. The program has been lauded by the United Nations as being aligned with its own recommendations about how best to aid the development and diversification of Central African economies.

In addition to these initiatives, Gabon has implemented wide-ranging legal and regulatory reforms to make its operating environment more conducive to new investment. For example, Gabon’s Ministry of Oil, Gas, Hydrocarbons and Mines worked hand in hand with International Oil Companies (IOCs) in revising the Hydrocarbons Code (https://apo-opa.info/3oIPjqD) to improve fiscal terms and optimize performance of the sector. The resulting New Hydrocarbons Code (2019) reduced government participation and royalties in production sharing contracts, as well as stipulated that local oil and gas service providers should be given preference when tendering work in logistics and supplies, giving them valuable access to income, technology and skills development. Not only did the revised code renew interest from IOCs in Gabon’s upstream landscape, but it also demonstrated the value of private-public sector collaboration in driving new investments.

These efforts to facilitate partnerships between the state and the private sector seem to have paid off: Gabon has launched several public-private partnerships (PPPs) in the realm of power and utilities, including a recent MOU signed between Gabon Power Company and independent oil and gas company Perenco for the construction of a gas-fired power plant in Mayumba. Under the agreement, the two companies will jointly develop the plant, which will produce gas from Perenco’s nearby offshore oil and gas fields to electrify 80,000 households in Gabon’s southern provinces. Initiating collaboration through PPPs can be an effective way tomobilize financing and distribute risk among multiple parties. In addition, these partnerships garner multi-faceted governmental support and formalized energy development plans, while capitalizing on free-market expertise and competition required to operate the project from a technical standpoint. The success of PPPs in Gabon’s utilities space, along with ongoing reforms to improve the ease of doing business, are highly anticipated to drive private sector growth in the country in the coming decade.

All this and more will be further unpacked in Energy Capital & Power’s upcoming market report, Energy Invest Gabon. Keep following for more information about this exciting report!

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

Business

Angola Strengthens Global Investment Drive Across Oil, Gas and Mineral Resources

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Angola

With sweeping reforms across the extractive sector, Angola is entering a new phase defined by transparency, regulatory modernisation, value addition, and international partnership

LONDON, United Kingdom, May 8, 2026/APO Group/ –At a defining moment in Angola’s economic transformation, the Critical Minerals Africa Group (CMAG) (https://CMAGAfrica.com), together with the Government of Angola and the Ministry of Mineral Resources, Petroleum and Gas of the Republic of Angola (MIREMPET), will convene global investors, policymakers, and industry leaders in London for the Angola Oil, Gas & Mining Investment Conference on 14 May 2026.

 

More than a conference, this gathering represents a strategic international engagement at a time when Angola is actively reshaping its economic future and positioning itself as one of Africa’s most compelling destinations for long-term investment in natural resources, infrastructure, and industrial development.

With sweeping reforms across the extractive sector, Angola is entering a new phase defined by transparency, regulatory modernisation, value addition, and international partnership. The country’s leadership is sending a clear message to global markets: Angola is open for investment and ready to build transformational partnerships that support sustainable growth and economic diversification.

This is not simply about resource development, it is about building long-term industrial growth, strengthening energy and mineral supply chains, and shaping Angola’s future

The event will be headlined by H.E. Diamantino Azevedo, Minister for Mineral Resources, Oil and Gas of Angola, whose leadership since 2017 has been central to advancing Angola’s mineral and hydrocarbons agenda. Under his stewardship, Angola has accelerated institutional reform, strengthened governance frameworks, promoted private sector participation, and prioritised sustainable resource development.

As global demand intensifies for critical minerals, energy security, and resilient supply chains, Angola is uniquely positioned to become a strategic partner to international investors and industrial economies. The country’s vast untapped mineral wealth, significant oil and gas reserves, expanding infrastructure ambitions, and commitment to economic diversification present a rare investment window for global stakeholders.

Speaking ahead of the event, Veronica Bolton Smith, CEO of the Critical Minerals Africa Group said:

“Angola stands at a pivotal point in its national development. The reforms taking place across the country’s extractive sectors are creating unprecedented opportunities for responsible international investment and strategic partnership. This is not simply about resource development, it is about building long-term industrial growth, strengthening energy and mineral supply chains, and shaping Angola’s future as a globally competitive investment destination. We believe this moment represents one of the most important opportunities for international partners to engage with Angola’s leadership and participate in the country’s next chapter of economic transformation.”

The event is expected to attract a distinguished international audience, including sovereign representatives, institutional investors, mining and energy executives, infrastructure developers, development finance institutions, and strategic partners seeking direct engagement with Angola’s leadership.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Critical Minerals Africa Group (CMAG).

 

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African Union (AU) Commissioner Mataboge Joins African Energy Week (AEW) 2026 as Continent Scales Interconnected Energy Infrastructure

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African Energy Chamber

Lerato Mataboge’s participation reflects the African Union’s commitment to transforming African energy systems, prioritizing African-led innovation and priorities

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, May 7, 2026/APO Group/ –Lerato D. Mataboge, Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy at the African Union (AU), has joined the upcoming African Energy Week (AEW) Conference and Exhibition – taking place October 12-16 in Cape Town – as a speaker. Her participation puts the AU’s institutional voice at the center of the event at a moment when the continental body is moving from policy architecture to execution, and growing increasingly vocal about the conditions it will and will not accept from international partners.

 

Mataboge has been among the clearest African voices pushing back on the terms of the global energy transition debate. At the World Economic Forum in Davos in January 2026, she challenged the prevailing narrative, arguing that baseload power is a non-negotiable prerequisite for African industrialization and that the continent cannot be assessed by the same benchmarks applied to economies that already have reliable electricity. Africa holds around 20% of the world’s identified uranium resources yet accounts for less than 1% of global nuclear electricity consumption, a disparity she has cited as emblematic of a broader pattern of resource wealth that has yet to translate into energy sovereignty.

Commissioner Mataboge is the institutional link between Africa’s continental energy ambitions and the investors and developers who can make them real

Speaking in Cape Town in March, Mataboge noted that Africa has approximately 245 GW of installed generation capacity, while electricity consumption averages around 600 kWh per person per year, roughly five times below the global average. Closing the gap means connecting between 90 and 100 million additional people to electricity annually, requiring roughly $200 billion in annual investment by 2030 against a current annual investment level of approximately $45 billion.

Mataboge’s mandate at the AU is to build the institutional architecture that can begin to mobilize that capital at scale. She is overseeing the operationalization of the African Single Electricity Market (AfSEM), which aims to integrate the continent’s fragmented regional power pools into a unified electricity market, alongside the Continental Power Systems Masterplan and the Ten-Year Infrastructure Investment Plan for Cross-Border Connectivity, the AU’s master pipeline for transmission and generation projects. These frameworks have been in development for years, but the challenge has been turning them into bankable propositions that attract private capital. At AEW 2026, that case will be made to the investors and developers who can act on it.

“Commissioner Mataboge is the institutional link between Africa’s continental energy ambitions and the investors and developers who can make them real,” said NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the African Energy Chamber. “Her message is clear – that Africa will not subordinate its development needs to external financing conditions that were never designed with this continent in mind. AEW is the right room to have that conversation, and the right moment.”

AEW 2026 – Africa’s premier energy event – convenes Africa’s foremost policymakers, financiers, developers and operators to advance the continent’s energy agenda. Commissioner Mataboge’s address will place the AU’s institutional framework, and the financing gap it is working to close, at center stage.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Chamber.

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InterOil’s Angola Oil & Gas (AOG) 2026 Silver Sponsorship Reflects Drive to Scale Logistics, Local Content

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Energy Capital

Integrated logistics, local workforce development and offshore execution converge as Angola’s project pipeline expands

LUANDA, Angola, May 7, 2026/APO Group/ –Angolan oilfield services provider InterOil has joined the upcoming Angola Oil & Gas (AOG) Conference and Exhibition as a Silver Sponsor, taking place September 9-10 with a pre-conference on September 8. For over 21 years, InterOil has worked alongside international operators, playing a strategic role in maintaining stable and reliable offshore activities. It’s AOG sponsorship not only demonstrates a commitment to the growth of the industry, but positions the logistics and offshore support provider at the center of Angola’s next wave of deepwater and infrastructure-led projects.

InterOil’s sponsorship reflects a core reality in Angola’s hydrocarbon market: as projects become more complex and move into deeper waters, the ability to sustain operations through integrated logistics solutions is emerging as a defining constraint. The company’s model – combining onshore coordination with offshore execution – addresses this directly, ensuring continuity across high-intensity operations where downtime carries significant financial and technical risk.

Operating in a complex offshore environment, InterOil has built its track record around reliability and operational discipline. A key reference point is the Kaombo development in Block 32, operated by TotalEnergies. Since 2014, the company has supported the project through integrated onshore and offshore logistics, sustaining operations for both the FPSO Kaombo North and FPSO Kaombo South. The development remains one of Angola’s most technically complex offshore assets, and InterOil’s role in maintaining operational continuity underscores the importance of logistics providers in stabilizing production and ensuring efficiency at scale.

This operational focus is complemented by a long-term commitment to local content development. InterOil has prioritized the recruitment, training and advancement of Angolan professionals, embedding structured capacity-building and knowledge transfer into its operating model. In a market where local participation is both a regulatory requirement and a strategic imperative, this approach supports workforce development while reinforcing operational resilience.

As Angola seeks to sustain production above one million barrels per day by expanding infrastructure, accelerating offshore projects and deepening local participation across the value chain, the role of logistics providers is becoming more strategic. AOG 2026 provides a platform where these capabilities are integrated into broader project discussions, connecting operators, service providers and investors around execution as a core pillar of project success. InterOil’s participation underscores a broader industry shift: in Angola’s next phase of growth, operational delivery will carry as much weight as resource potential.

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

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