PARAMARIBO, Suriname, February 20, 2026/APO Group/ –Venezuela’s long-dormant oil and gas sector is rapidly reactivating in early 2026, sharpening the relevance of Caribbean Energy Week (CEW)’s First Mover Advantage in Venezuela’s Frontier session. Recent developments – including a visit by U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright to assess the country’s oil-sector overhaul, alongside new U.S. licensing measures enabling foreign companies to handle Venezuelan crude – signal a renewed pathway for commercial engagement with the world’s largest proven oil-reserve base.

Venezuela holds roughly 300 billion barrels of proven oil reserves, a resource endowment larger than any other country, yet decades of sanctions, underinvestment and bottlenecks in output have kept actual production far below potential. Recent shifts suggest a meaningful pivot toward reintegration and growth: expanded U.S. licences are supporting a return of Venezuelan crude to export flows, and global energy companies like Shell are exploring offshore gas projects that could position Venezuela as a Caribbean‑Atlantic gas exporter in the next few years.

Last month, Venezuela enacted oil sector reform laws that roll back state monopolies and open the industry to private and foreign participation, including potential minority ownership and arbitration protections. These changes – driven by interim leadership and influenced by U.S. engagement – mark the most significant overhaul in decades and are designed to attract capital and technical expertise back into the market.

At CEW 2026, the First Mover Advantage in Venezuela’s Frontier session will showcase how these shifts translate into concrete opportunities for investors and operators. With production targets set to rise – Venezuelan output has climbed toward one million barrels per day and could return to pre‑blockade levels by mid‑2026 under expanded licensing frameworks – understanding how to enter early and navigate the regulatory, fiscal and operational environment will be critical.

For Caribbean stakeholders in particular, Venezuela’s strategic location and resource profile make it a potential driver of regional energy security and market stability. Heavy crude from Venezuela’s Orinoco Belt has historically supplied regional refineries and markets, and renewed export flows could support Caribbean demand while enhancing trade linkages with North America and beyond. The session will unpack both short‑term plays – such as crude supply agreements and logistics optimization – and longer‑term strategic partnerships.

Investor interest is also being shaped by geopolitical dynamics. U.S. engagement – including calls by Energy Secretary Wright for a “flood of investment” – underscores Washington’s interest in balanced, commercially viable partnerships. While major U.S. firms like ExxonMobil remain cautious, reforms that reduce state dominance, provide clearer dispute resolution pathways and expand market access are being actively discussed and developed.

CEW 2026 will bring together policymakers, energy company leaders, financiers and regional energy planners to explore these dynamics in depth. Participants will gain insights into how Venezuela’s resource base, evolving legal regime and shifting international engagement can intersect with Caribbean and American commercial interests. For investors seeking first‑mover advantage in hydrocarbons or related energy infrastructure, this forum provides a roadmap for engagement at a pivotal moment in Venezuela’s energy resurgence.

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, February 19, 2026/APO Group/ –As Africa seeks to capitalize on surging global demand for critical minerals to drive GDP growth and industrialization, regional collaboration is emerging as a strategic imperative to unlock the continent’s full resource potential. Holding approximately 30% of the world’s critical mineral reserves – including the largest global shares of platinum group metals (PGMs), manganese and chrome – Africa is positioned to play a leading role in global supply chains. However, with intra-African trade accounting for only 16% of total African trade, significant opportunities remain to strengthen cross-border cooperation and build integrated mineral value chains. Enhanced regional collaboration offers a pathway for African countries to address longstanding structural challenges, including limited access to financing and inadequate infrastructure and shortages in technical skills.

 

Recent Regional Cooperation Deals

Against this backdrop, African governments and mining financiers are accelerating partnerships to enhance geological knowledge, unlock investment and strengthen industrial capacity. A notable example is the agreement between Gabon’s Ministry of Mines and Geological Resources and Council for Geoscience of South Africa. The partnership enables Gabon to leverage South Africa’s expertise in geological mapping, exploration and resource assessment to improve its national mineral database and support the diversification of its mining sector. With South Africa’s extensive experience as the world’s leading producer of PGMs, chrome and manganese, as well as its historical position as a dominant gold producer, the agreement provides Gabon with technical support to accelerate the development of its potash, manganese and iron ore sectors. Equally important, the partnership prioritizes local capacity building, workforce development and knowledge transfer, strengthening Gabon’s institutional and technical capabilities to support long-term mining sector growth.

 

“Africa’s integration is a strategic economic vision. Harmonizing natural resource laws and aligning with frameworks like the ECOWAS Mining Code and African Minerals Vision is key, but national interests disrupt continental coordination, limiting the continent’s mining potential,” Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, Ghana’s Minister of Lands and Natural Resources said in Cape Town earlier this month.

Financial cooperation is also playing a pivotal role in unlocking regional mineral development. In February 2026, South Africa’s Industrial Development Corporation signed a memorandum of understanding with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)’s Fonds de Promotion de l’Industrie to jointly finance and co-develop projects across the mining, energy and logistics value chain. This agreement brings together two of Africa’s most strategically important mineral economies, combining South Africa’s financial capacity and industrial expertise with the DRC’s vast reserves of cobalt, copper, tin and other critical minerals. By aligning development finance institutions, the partnership reduces funding constraints that have historically delayed project development, while directing capital toward beneficiation infrastructure, processing facilities and transport corridors that enable greater value addition within Africa.

Similarly, several African producers are leveraging South Africa’s technical expertise to de-risk exploration and accelerate mineral sector development. Nigeria and South Sudan have signed cooperation agreements with South African institutions focused on geological mapping, exploration and technical collaboration. These partnerships form part of broader national strategies to diversify economic growth away from petroleum dependence and toward mining-led industrialization. By strengthening geological knowledge and improving resource certainty, such agreements enhance investor confidence, reduce exploration risk and position Nigeria and South Sudan to attract long-term mining investment.

Strategic Value of Regional Cooperation

These agreements reflect a growing recognition among African governments that regional cooperation is essential to unlocking the continent’s mineral wealth. Many of Africa’s most valuable mineral belts extend across national borders, making coordinated infrastructure development, regulatory alignment and investment frameworks critical for efficient resource extraction and commercialization. Regional cooperation enables countries to pool financial resources, share infrastructure such as railways, power systems and ports, and coordinate industrial strategies that support downstream beneficiation and manufacturing.

Speaking in Cape Town in mid-February, Henry Alake, Nigeria’s Minister of Solid Minerals Development, stated: “Africa must finance strategic mineral corridors such as Lagos–Abidjan and Lagos–Maputo, not just to export raw materials, but to build cross-border processing industries that create jobs and retain value within the continent.”

Platform for Advancing Cooperation

Building on the growing momentum for regional cooperation, African Mining Week, taking place from October 14–16 in Cape Town, will serve as a critical platform for advancing partnerships across the continent’s mining sector. The event will bring together policymakers, investors, mining companies and financial institutions to strengthen collaboration, showcase investment opportunities and accelerate the development of integrated African mineral value chains. As Africa positions itself at the center of the global energy transition and critical minerals supply chain, such partnerships will be instrumental in transforming the continent’s resource wealth into long-term economic growth and industrial development.

YAOUNDE, Cameroon, February 19, 2026/APO Group/ –Nine exploration and production blocks are now avaialble in Cameroon’s latest licensing round. Spanning two proven basins, the tender – managed by the National Hydrocarbons Corporation (SNH) – is accepting proposals through March 30, 2026, ahead of a final decision in late April. Launched on August 1, 2025, the round includes three blocks in the Rio del Rey (RDR) basin – Ndian River, Bolongo Exploration and Bakassi – and six in the Douala/Kribi‑Campo (DKC) basin – Etinde Exploration, Bomono, Nkombe‑Nsepe, Tilapia, Ntem and Elombo. Strategically located near existing producing fields, these blocks feature prior drilling, 2D and 3D seismic coverage and identified leads and undrilled prospects, giving investors immediate insight into exploration and development potential.

Competitive Framework Attracts Investors

Cameroon’s licensing round accommodates multiple contractual frameworks, including Concession Contracts, Production Sharing Contracts and Risk Service Contracts. Exploration periods vary by block: Bolongo, Bomono, Etinde Exploration, Tilapia, Ntem and Elombo have an initial three-year term, renewable twice for two-year periods, while Bakassi, Kombe-Nsepe and Ndian River have five-year initial terms, also renewable.

Companies must submit proposals including technical evaluations, minimum work programs, budgets, environmental and social commitments and local content plans. Minimum work programs require drilling exploration wells, seismic acquisition and geoscience studies, while negotiable fiscal terms – profit-oil/gas shares, royalties and cost oil/cost gas – ensure competitive commercial conditions.

This transparency and flexibility reflect SNH’s strategy to restore investor confidence, particularly as mature fields face natural production decline. The government has also enhanced openness by publishing full data packages and bid criteria, with data rooms accessible in Yaoundé and abroad.

“What makes Cameroon’s licensing round so compelling is the quality of the technical data available,” says NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the African Energy Chamber. “Investors can clearly see the reservoir potential, plan their drilling strategies and structure financing with confidence. Beyond the data, Cameroon has created a transparent and competitive framework, with clear contract terms and open negotiations, giving companies the certainty they need to move capital and execute projects effectively.”

Why Investors Should Take Notice Now

Cameroon’s RDR and DKC basins are proven hydrocarbon provinces with existing infrastructure and nearby producing fields – factors that significantly reduce technical risk and lower entry barriers. The comprehensive data and transparent terms allow investors to build well-informed economic models and financing structures ahead of the March 2026 bid closure.

For independents and majors alike, the round offers early entry into blocks with confirmed leads, potential for material discoveries and the ability to shape work programs that align with both exploration risk and capital capability. Cameroon’s willingness to negotiate fiscal terms and provide incentives in “exceptional circumstances” further differentiates this round from more rigid licensing environments.

“Both onshore and offshore, Cameroon possesses immense and largely untapped energy potential, underpinned by proven oil reserves and significant gas resources. These gas assets present a major opportunity not only to support domestic development and diversify the country’s energy mix, but also to position Cameroon as a competitive exporter to global markets,” continues Ayuk. “The current licensing round reflects this dual opportunity: unique onshore projects tailored to serve domestic demand are well suited to independents and African operators, while the LNG potential of large offshore gas discoveries should attract major international companies.”

Strategic Platform: From Paris to Cape Town

The timing of this round aligns with two key platforms for African energy investment. The Invest in African Energy Forum (IAE 2026), on April 22–23 in Paris, brings together investors, DFIs and technical partners to review Africa’s leading energy opportunities and forge partnerships. IAE has a proven track record as a precursor to signed commitments, providing access to project pipelines and opportunities for early-stage engagement. Deals and discussions initiated in Paris can be further developed at African Energy Week (AEW 2026) in Cape Town (October 12–16), where high-level engagement across the value chain advances financing, partnerships and project execution.

With data consultation ongoing and bids recently submitted, Cameroon’s licensing round represents a timely, high-value opportunity for investors and operators. Leveraging IAE and AEW allows companies to turn technical potential into regional partnerships, financed projects, and operational success, positioning Cameroon as a key frontier for exploration in Central Africa.

“Realizing the full value of Cameroon’s oil and gas resources will require strategic planning for both discovered and yet-to-find reserves, alongside a clear vision for their role in domestic and international energy markets. We are confident this licensing round provides that pathway and strongly encourage investors to take a close look at Cameroon,” concludes Ayuk.