CAPE TOWN, South Africa, April 23, 2026/APO Group/ –As global gold prices continue to reach record levels and demand surging, the upcoming African Mining Week Conference – The Most Influential Mining Conference in Africa – taking place on October 14–16 in Cape Town will connect global investors with investment opportunities across Africa’s burgeoning gold value chain. The event will host the Gold Forum, bringing together private and public sector stakeholders from Africa’s leading gold-producing countries alongside international investors to discuss the future of gold mining, trading and value addition.

With reduced reliance on the U.S. dollar and rising central bank purchases expected to keep gold demand elevated, prices are projected to remain above $5,000 per ounce through 2026. In response, African producers are accelerating project development to capitalize on these market trends and drive GDP growth. Central banks alone are forecasted to acquire around 755 tons of gold.

Ghana – Africa’s largest gold producer – aims to increase output to 6.5 million ounces from six million in 2025, through the acceleration of projects such as the Cardinal Namdini, Ahafo North, Black Volta and Bibiani mines, alongside artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) operations.

Similarly, Mali, Africa’s second-largest gold producer, seeks to increase production beyond the current 60 tons per year. Recent license renewals and grants – including Toubani Resources’ Kobada Mine, Barrick Mining’s Loulo-Gounkoto Mine, B2Gold’s Fekola Mine expansion, Compass Gold’s Massala Mine and Roscan Gold’s exploration permits – reflect a commitment to collaborate with global investors to unlock its gold potential.

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) also aims to increase gold exports to 15–18 metric tons in 2026. Meanwhile, several projects across the continent have also reached final investment decisions, highlighting Africa’s focus on expanding gold production. Against this backdrop, the Gold Forum at AMW will serve as a key venue for connecting investors with upstream investment opportunities across the continent.

The Forum will also spotlight efforts to enhance local beneficiation to maximize the value of Africa’s gold resources. These include the DRC’s partnership with Lunga Mining to launch a pilot gold refinery in Kalemie. Ghana’s Gold Coast also partnered with South Africa’s Rand Refinery to enhance local gold processing in Ghana. Egypt is collaborating with the African Export-Import Bank to finance and develop an integrated gold value chain in the country while Mali is developing a refinery in partnership with Russian investors. Amidst this rapid expansion of Africa’s downstream infrastructure, AMW will provide a platform to discuss best strategies for unlocking investment to support the continent’s local beneficiation agenda.

In addition, African gold producers are increasingly implementing programs to formalize and empower ASGM operations, contributing to sector stability and growth. For instance, Ghana is leveraging its newly established Ghana Gold Board to support ASGM formalization. Meanwhile, the DRC is leveraging its ASGM Empowerment AXIS Program – a blockchain-based gold tokenization project – and the Goldconnect program – designed to formalize, secure and digitize artisanal gold mining. Coming into this picture, the AMW Gold Forum will connect investors with opportunities arising from Africa’s ASGM formalization initiatives.

AMW serves as a premier platform for exploring the full spectrum of mining opportunities across Africa. The event is held alongside the African Energy Week: Invest in African Energies 2026 conference from October 12-16 in Cape Town. Sponsors, exhibitors and delegates can learn more by contacting sales@energycapitalpower.com.

LAGOS, Nigeria, April 23, 2026/APO Group/ –The African Energy Chamber (AEC) (www.EnergyChamber.org) commends the Nigerian Federal Government for its decisive and timely intervention in the Dawes Island marginal field dispute, reinforcing the country’s commitment to protecting indigenous investment and sustaining momentum in oil and gas production growth.

 

Following the recent Federal High Court ruling concerning the Dawes Island field, the Office of the Attorney General has moved swiftly to coordinate a response, directing the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) to initiate an appeal. The NUPRC has since formally filed an application for leave to appeal, signaling a clear and unified government effort to uphold regulatory integrity and ensure continuity for operators delivering tangible results.

This proactive intervention sends a strong message to both domestic and international stakeholders: Nigeria remains committed to fostering a stable and predictable investment climate where performance, capital deployment and production are recognized and protected.

At the center of the dispute is Petralon 54 Limited, the Nigerian-owned operator of the Dawes Island oil block, which assumed operatorship in2021 following a marginal bid process. Since then, the company has invested approximately $60 million to rehabilitate infrastructure, drill multiple wells and bring the field into production – an achievement that stands out within Nigeria’s marginal field landscape.

Within a short timeframe, Petralon successfully drilled two wells –  DI-2 to 9,740 ft and DI-3 to 10,193 ft – evacuating over 200,000 barrels of crude to the Bonny Terminal and remitting excess of $900,000 in royalties to the Federal Government by March 2026. These results underscore the importance of ensuring that operators who deliver on their commitments are supported through consistent and transparent regulatory processes.

“The Nigerian government’s swift action demonstrates a clear understanding of what is at stake,” said NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the AEC. “Protecting investors who deploy capital, create value and contribute to national production is essential to maintaining confidence in the sector. This intervention reinforces Nigeria’s position as a serious and responsive energy investment destination.”

The development comes at a pivotal moment for Nigeria’s energy sector. Under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu, the country has seen renewed investor interest, with over $8 billion in upstream investment commitments recorded since 2023. Major projects, including Shell’s $2 billion final investment decision on the HI offshore gas project, TotalEnergies’ Ubeta development and Shell’s Bonga North deepwater project, highlight the scale of capital being mobilized.

Additional financing, such as Chevron’s $1.4 billion for deep and shallow water infill drilling, further reflects growing confidence in Nigeria’s regulatory and investment framework. Meanwhile, discussions around large-scale opportunities like the proposed Bonga South West development – potentially worth up to $20 billion – underscore the country’s long-term growth potential.

Indigenous companies remain central to this trajectory, now accounting for approximately 30% of Nigeria’s oil and gas production. Their role in driving output, creating jobs and strengthening local capacity continues to expand, making policy consistency and investment protection more critical than ever.

In parallel, downstream advancements such as Aliko Dangote’s 650,000-barrel-per-day refinery in Lagos are enhancing regional energy security, with increased exports of refined products helping to stabilize supply across African markets.

The AEC emphasizes that the government’s coordinated response to the Dawes Island case reflects a broader commitment to ensuring that Nigeria’s “drill or drop” policy is upheld – rewarding operators that actively develop assets while maintaining accountability across the sector.

The Chamber encourages all parties to support a swift and constructive resolution to the case, ensuring that ongoing operations are not disrupted and that Nigeria’s energy sector continues on its path toward increased output, energy security and economic resilience.

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, April 22, 2026/APO Group/ –The African Energy Chamber (AEC) (www.EnergyChamber.org) has reiterated that it will continue boycotting the upcoming Africa Energies Summit – hosted by Frontier Energy Network in London – until meaningful changes are made to the event’s approach to local content and hiring practices. The Chamber’s position reflects mounting concern across the African energy sector that platforms claiming to represent the continent are failing to include African professionals – particularly Black Africans – in leadership and decision-making roles.

The AEC has been explicit: this is no longer a matter of engagement or dialogue, but one of accountability. Despite repeated calls for reform, the organizers of the summit have not demonstrated a willingness to address concerns around exclusion, particularly the lack of Black African representation at senior levels within an Africa-focused platform. For the AEC, this undermines both the credibility and the legitimacy of the event.

“Our position remains the same: if you benefit from Africa’s resources and its development agenda, then you must reflect Africa in your leadership, hiring and decision-making. Local content can no longer be smoke and mirrors – it must be a tangible commitment to inclusion, opportunity and ownership. We cannot accept a situation where Africa is central to the conversation, but Africans are absent from leadership,” states NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman, AEC.

The decision to continue the boycott comes amid a mass withdrawal by the African public and private sector from the upcoming summit, with stakeholders citing repeated failures by the organizers to address concerns around local content and participation. In March 2026, Mozambique’s oil and gas sector withdrew from the summit, with the Mozambique Energy Chamber expressing that its members will not be attending. In April 2026, Ghana followed suite, citing similar concerns as well as discriminatory hiring practices that sidelined African professionals. This reflects a broader position: Africa will not support events that exclude African professionals.

For its part, the AEC has been firm on this position. Delivering a keynote address to downstream players during ARDA Week 2026, Ayuk called for a continental shift to ‘refine, baby refine,’ highlighting the need for African-led innovation and infrastructure development to address energy security challenges. Drawing attention to African-led projects such as the Dangote Refinery – Africa’s largest facility at 650,000 barrels per day – as well as indigenous companies such as Sahara Group, Ayuk stressed that “energy poverty cannot only be an ideology but action,” emphasizing the need to invest more in local communities, companies and projects.

The Chamber reinforced this position during the Namibia International Energy Conference in Windhoek last week, where discussions largely centered around local content, women in energy and advancing the country’s oil boom. During the event, the Chamber called for strong local content frameworks and inclusive leadership, highlighting that through strengthened participation and policies that advocate for gender diversity, the country could position oil and gas as an engine for growth. The behavior of organizations such as Frontier Energy Network and individuals such as Daniel Davidson threaten to undermine these efforts, posing a structural risk to Africa’s energy development.

“It will be incredibly dangerous to have the vision of Daniel Davidson and Frontier Energy Network guide how the continent deals with energy poverty, investments and the development of fields in Namibia, Mozambique and across Africa. Over the coming weeks we will intensify our campaign to boycott the summit. But the industry must do more: seismic companies that continue enabling these horrible policies will also be targeted. They are aiding and abetting anti-African policies. Multi-client data does not work with discrimination,” added Ayuk.

The AEC has made it clear that its position will not shift without tangible change. For the Chamber and its partners, the issue is not about exclusion in return, but about establishing a baseline of fairness, representation and mutual respect. Until that standard is met, the boycott will remain in place.