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Africa’s Crude Export Landscape is Shifting – What It Means for the Continent and the Industry

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1 year ago

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African Energy Chamber

As Africa evolves from a traditional crude exporter into a rising energy consumer and industrial powerhouse, the OPEC World Oil Outlook 2025 underscores a continent on the rise – setting the stage for high-level dialogue and investment at African Energy Week 2025

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, July 17, 2025/APO Group/ –Africa is repositioning itself in the global oil market – not merely as a supplier to international markets, but as a rising energy consumer and industrial growth hub. The newly released OPEC World Oil Outlook 2025 underscores a continent in transition, leveraging its natural resources to meet domestic demand, expand refining capacity and strengthen regional energy security. These shifts signal a maturing energy profile, one that will be at the forefront of discussions during African Energy Week 2025 (AEW): Invest in African Energies, where policymakers, investors and industry leaders will shape the future of African energy on African terms.

 

Crude Exports Plateau Before Gradual Decline

OPEC projects that Africa’s total crude and condensate exports will remain stable at around 5.2 million barrels per day (bpd) through 2035, thanks to modest increases in production. However, this steady supply will increasingly be used at home. By 2050, exports are expected to decline to 4.2 million bpd – not due to market loss, but as a result of rising domestic demand and strategic value addition on the continent.

One of the most significant insights from the report is the continent’s growing internal energy appetite. Domestic crude use is expected to rise from 1.8 million bpd in 2024 to 4.5 million bpd by 2050, nearly tripling over the outlook period. This growth is tied to Africa’s demographic boom, industrial expansion and a concerted push to enhance local refining and downstream infrastructure. As African governments invest in capacity to process more of their own crude and produce their own fuels, the continent is taking steps toward energy independence and job creation across the value chain.

AEW 2025 will be a critical moment to chart that course, ensuring that Africa’s oil and gas resources are harnessed not only for global supply but for African prosperity

Europe and Asia: Changing Trade Patterns

Meanwhile, global trade patterns are shifting in ways that present new opportunities for African producers. Exports to Europe are expected to increase to a peak of 3 million bpd in 2030, before gradually tapering to 2.3 million bpd by 2050, in line with Europe’s broader energy transition and shrinking reliance on imported oil. The Asia-Pacific region is emerging as a more prominent long-term partner, with African crude exports remaining stable at 1.9 million bpd through 2030, then rising modestly to 2.2 million bpd by 2040 before easing to 1.8 million bpd by 2050.

Trade with the U.S. and Canada, which stood at 400,000 bpd in 2024, is expected to fall to 100,000 bpd by 2045, as competition from Latin America intensifies. Yet rather than signaling decline, this trend underscores the importance of market diversification and deeper regional cooperation – a direction many African producers are already pursuing through integrated trade corridors, cross-border pipelines and African Continental Free Trade Area initiatives.

What This Means for Africa’s Energy Strategy — and AEW

These evolving dynamics will be a core focus at AEW 2025: Invest in African Energies, the continent’s premier platform for energy dialogue, investment and policy alignment. AEW will provide a stage for African countries to present their long-term energy strategies and forge partnerships aimed at building capacity, securing financing and scaling infrastructure. Rather than reacting to global shifts, Africa is asserting its own agenda centered on energy access, industrialization and sustainable growth.

A dedicated OPEC roundtable at AEW will also explore the implications of the World Oil Outlook 2025 in greater depth. This forum will offer African producers and OPEC member states a chance to align on market expectations, explore new trade frameworks and identify areas for collaboration across production, refining and investment.

“As demand at home accelerates and global market dynamics evolve, the continent is stepping into a more self-directed and strategic role in the energy world. AEW 2025 will be a critical moment to chart that course, ensuring that Africa’s oil and gas resources are harnessed not only for global supply but for African prosperity,” says NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman, African Energy Week.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Chamber.

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Thailand Secures $43.6bn 1H 2026 Investment Surge as Big Tech Accelerates Southeast Asia AI Infrastructure Push

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July 23, 2026

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Thailand

BANGKOK, THAILAND – Media OutReach Newswire – 23 July 2026 – Thailand’s foreign and domestic investment applications surged 37% year-on-year to hit $43.6 billion (approx. 1.47 trillion baht) across 1,299 projects in the first half of 2026, driven by a massive wave of capital flowing into digital infrastructure and artificial intelligence (AI) data centers.

The surge comes even as the global economy faces real headwinds — geopolitical tensions, energy price volatility, and the restructuring of global supply chains — with Thailand emerging as a preferred base for investment across Southeast Asia.
Leading the capital influx is the digital sector, which reached a commanding $33 billion (approx. 1.12 trillion baht) in investment applications.

“Thailand’s investment growth held steady even as the world economy faced real turbulence,” said Mr. Narit Therdsteerasukdi, Secretary General of the Thailand Board of Investment (BOI). “This reflects strong investor confidence in Thailand’s potential as a base for the industries of the future.”

This digital windfall was accompanied by robust capital commitments across other high-value industries. The electrical appliances and electronics sector drew $3.56 billion (approx. 120.2 billion baht) across 179 projects, while agriculture and food processing secured $1.82 billion (approx. 61.4 billion baht) across 131 projects. Additionally, logistics and high-value services attracted $1.19 billion (approx. 40.2 billion baht) across 170 projects, and the automotive sector drew $759.2 million (approx. 25.7 billion baht) across 122 projects.

Other notable sectors included mining, metals and materials at $603.5 million (approx. 20.4 billion baht) across 128 projects, chemicals and petrochemicals at $489.1 million (approx. 16.5 billion baht) across 110 projects, and machinery, automation and robotics at $387.4 million (approx. 13.1 billion baht) across 82 projects, signaling broad-based industrial modernization.

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) applications drove the bulk of the growth, skyrocketing 80% year-on-year to $40.5 billion (approx. 1.37 trillion baht) across 877 projects.

Singapore emerged as the top source of FDI, filing applications worth $33.2 billion (approx. 1.12 trillion baht) across 158 projects. The United Kingdom followed as the second-largest investor at $1.40 billion (approx. 47.2 billion baht) across 11 projects, with China close behind at $1.35 billion (approx. 45.8 billion baht) across 321 projects, Taiwan at $1.12 billion (approx. 38.0 billion baht) across 47 projects, and Japan at $970.1 million (approx. 32.8 billion baht) across 123 projects.

These investments remain heavily concentrated in digital technology — including data centers, data hosting, and cloud services — followed by electronics and electrical appliances such as optical transceivers, printed circuit boards, hard disk drives, and data-center networking and cooling systems, along with humanoid robotics parts, automotive parts, food and beverage, and advanced materials. Geographically, Thailand’s industrialized Central region claimed the largest share of capital at $26.7 billion (approx. 903.8 billion baht) across 513 projects, followed by the Eastern region at $14.7 billion (approx. 495.7 billion baht). The Northeastern, Southern, Western, and Northern regions each drew smaller totals, but the North stood out with investment value up 93 percent year-on-year, led by energy and utilities, agriculture and food processing, and medical projects.

To support the massive power requirements of next-generation data centers, Thailand is seeing a parallel surge in renewable energy infrastructure. The energy and utilities sector recorded 221 projects worth $1.17 billion (approx. 39.5 billion baht) during the first half of the year, dominated by 198 clean energy initiatives—including solar, wind, biomass, and biogas power plants—valued at $779.7 million (approx. 26.4 billion baht).

Concurrently, manufacturers are investing in automation to remain competitive on the global stage. Under the BOI’s “Smart and Sustainable Industry” initiative, companies submitted 132 applications valued at $507.6 million (approx. 17.2 billion baht) to upgrade machinery, adopt digital technology, and integrate automation and robotics into production and services, raising productivity and moving Thai industry toward higher-value, sustainable manufacturing.

The projects approved by the BOI in the first half of 2026 will generate over 82,000 jobs for Thai workers and consume approximately $11.4 billion (approx. 386 billion baht) in domestic raw materials annually, accounting for 42 percent of the projects’ total raw material use, and is expected to boost the nation’s export capacity by more than $36.8 billion (approx. 1.24 trillion baht) per year.

The BOI approved investment promotion applications for 1,300 projects valued at $38.7 billion (approx. 1.31 trillion baht) in the first half of 2026.

“Investment value is not the only goal,” Mr. Narit said. “Real success means quality jobs, higher skills, and better income for Thai workers.” “It means real opportunities for Thai businesses inside the supply chain, and growth that reaches every region, not just a few. That is why we will keep pushing for actual investment to happen as quickly as possible through the Thailand FastPass mechanism, driving economic growth and letting Thai people share directly in the shift to the industries of the future.”
 

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Cregis Expands into Africa, Bringing Enterprise Digital Asset Infrastructure to One of Crypto’s Fastest-Growing Regions

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7 hours ago

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July 23, 2026

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Cregis

Cregis is bringing proven enterprise digital asset infrastructure to Africa at a time when the region is entering a more mature stage of digital asset development

HONG KONG, China, July 22, 2026/APO Group/ –Cregis (www.Cregis.com), an enterprise digital asset infrastructure platform, today announced its expansion into Africa, marking the company’s latest step in its global growth strategy. The move builds on Cregis’ expansion across Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and Latin America, as demand for enterprise digital asset infrastructure continues to grow worldwide.

 

Africa is one of the fastest-growing digital asset markets globally. According to Chainalysis, Sub-Saharan Africa received more than $205 billion in on-chain value between July 2024 and June 2025, up 52% year over year. Growth has been fueled by stablecoin payments, cross-border transactions and broader adoption of digital financial services. At the same time, regulatory frameworks are becoming clearer across several major markets, creating a stronger foundation for enterprise adoption.

For Cregis, those trends signal that the market is entering a new stage.

“We’ve seen this pattern before,” said Shawn Yan, Founder and CEO of Cregis. “Adoption comes first. As businesses grow, the focus shifts to operating digital assets securely, efficiently and in a way that can keep pace with evolving regulatory expectations. That’s where enterprise infrastructure becomes essential, and it’s the same transition we’re beginning to see across Africa.”

Cregis has already onboarded enterprise customers in the region and is expanding its local business development efforts across the continent, with particular attention to markets such as Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa, where digital asset ecosystems are among the most developed. The company is working with businesses including stablecoin payment providers, OTC desks, crypto exchanges and digital banks as demand for enterprise infrastructure continues to grow.

We’ve spent years helping businesses navigate periods of rapid market growth and regulatory change

To support those businesses, Cregis provides an integrated platform that helps enterprises manage the full lifecycle of digital assets, from wallet operations and fund flows to custody, governance and compliance. Its product portfolio includes Wallet-as-a-Service (WaaS) (https://apo-opa.co/4bC3Z0i), Payment Engine, (https://apo-opa.co/4warJRs) TronGas, and Crypto Off-Ramp, allowing businesses to scale digital asset operations without piecing together multiple infrastructure providers.

The expansion builds on nearly a decade of experience supporting enterprise customers across high-growth markets. In Asia-Pacific, Cregis worked with thousands of businesses in markets where digital asset adoption often outpaced regulation. That experience shaped the company’s approach to building infrastructure that balances operational flexibility with long-term compliance readiness.

The same strategy has since been validated in newer markets. In 2024, Cregis established Dubai as its Middle East hub, building a local team and expanding its compliance capabilities alongside regional growth. Today, the company supports more than 200 long-term enterprise deployments across the region and has built a strong presence in the brokerage, payments and fintech ecosystem. Earlier this year, Cregis expanded into Latin America and Europe, rapidly onboarding enterprise customers. In Europe, the company is also working with traditional financial institutions adopting digital asset infrastructure. Together, these experiences have given Cregis a proven framework for scaling across high-growth markets where enterprise demand and regulation are evolving together.

As more businesses adopt digital assets, infrastructure requirements are changing. Beyond secure wallet technology, enterprises increasingly need systems that bring together treasury operations, governance and compliance in one place. Cregis is designed to support businesses at different stages of growth, from fast-growing fintechs and crypto-native companies to institutions operating under stricter regulatory requirements, all on a unified platform. The company maintains a zero-security-incident record and holds internationally recognized certifications including SOC 2 Type I, SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001.
Looking ahead, Cregis plans to deepen its presence across Africa through customer engagement, local partnerships and participation in leading industry events, including Blockchain Africa Conference and Blockfest Africa. The company sees Africa as an important long-term market as digital assets become more deeply integrated into financial services across the region.

“We’ve spent years helping businesses navigate periods of rapid market growth and regulatory change,” Yan said. “Africa is entering a similar phase. Our goal isn’t simply to bring technology into the region — it’s to help local businesses build digital asset operations that can grow with confidence over the next decade.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Cregis Technology Limited.

 

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Energy

Viridien Brings Global Seismic Intelligence to Angola Oil & Gas (AOG) 2026 as Bronze Sponsor

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7 hours ago

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July 23, 2026

By

Etu Energias

Viridien is expanding advanced seismic coverage to support exploration decisions across Angola’s mature and frontier basins

LUANDA, Angola, July 22, 2026/APO Group/ –Global technology and data company Viridien is strengthening its presence in Angola through advanced seismic imaging, reprocessing and multi-client data programs designed to support the country’s next phase of exploration. The company has joined the Angola Oil & Gas (AOG) 2026 Conference and Exhibition, taking place September 9-10 with a pre-conference day on September 8, as a Bronze Sponsor, highlighting the growing role of subsurface intelligence as operators evaluate new acreage and pursue higher-confidence drilling targets.

Angola is accelerating exploration across offshore and onshore basins to replenish reserves and sustain crude production above one million barrels per day. This strategy is driving demand for higher-resolution seismic data that can help companies better understand complex geological structures, reduce uncertainty and identify prospective opportunities before committing capital to drilling.

Viridien maintains extensive 3D broadband seismic coverage across the Lower Congo and Kwanza basins, two of Angola’s most established offshore exploration regions. Its datasets support prospect generation and acreage evaluation across producing areas, as well as emerging deepwater and pre-salt plays.

A key component of Viridien’s Angolan portfolio is a regional 3D pre-stack depth migration dataset covering more than 7,200 km². The dataset delivers enhanced imaging of pre-salt and post-salt structures, where complex geology can make conventional interpretation challenging. These insights enable operators to refine geological models, prioritize prospects and better assess exploration opportunities.

Viridien expanded its portfolio in 2025 with the launch of a seismic reimaging program covering Block 22. The approximately 4,300 km² dataset is designed to support evaluation of underexplored structures along the Atlantic Hinge zone ahead of Angola’s upcoming licensing round. Final results are expected in the second half of 2026, providing prospective investors with updated subsurface insights as they assess potential participation in the block.

The program comes as Angola works to attract new entrants and encourage existing operators to increase exploration activity. Major developments in the Kwanza Basin, renewed interest in Namibe and Benguela, and upcoming licensing opportunities are expanding the range of acreage under evaluation. At the same time, operators are revisiting mature areas where improved seismic processing can reveal overlooked prospects close to existing infrastructure.

Viridien’s Bronze Sponsorship of AOG 2026 will connect the company with operators, regulators and investors assessing Angola’s next generation of exploration opportunities. By enabling more informed acreage evaluation and prospect selection, Viridien’s seismic technologies can help reduce exploration uncertainty and support the development of future drilling campaigns.

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

 

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