Minister Chuang brings extensive experience across South Sudan’s petroleum sector, having previously served as Minister of Petroleum as well as Director General, Undersecretary and Technical Advisor within the Ministry. His appointment comes as the country works to strengthen petroleum-sector management and attract international capital and technical expertise across its upstream industry.

Stepping into the role, Chuang has prioritized strengthening institutional cooperation, internal coordination and effective regulation within the Ministry of Petroleum. He has also emphasized addressing administrative and organizational challenges, improving accountability and strengthening coordination with the National Legislative Assembly as part of efforts to enhance oversight of South Sudan’s oil and gas sector.

The appointment comes ahead of the seventh edition of South Sudan Oil & Power (SSOP), taking place November 24–25, 2026 in Juba. Held in official partnership with the Ministry of Petroleum, SSOP 2026 will take place under the theme Resource Renaissance – Energy-Fueled Growth for a New Generation, bringing together government, industry, investors and technology providers to advance cooperation across the country’s energy sector.

SSOP 2026 will feature high-level panel discussions, networking opportunities, project showcases and technical workshops focused on emerging opportunities across South Sudan’s oil and gas value chain.

Upstream investment remans a key priority. South Sudan currently has14 blocks open to investors – A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, A6, B1, B4, C1, C2, D1, D2, E1 and E2 -, creating opportunities for international operators and investors to enter underexplored acreage.

Beyond exploration, the country is seeking investment in mature asset redevelopment and brownfield optimization as it works to increase recovery and production from existing fields. This creates opportunities for oilfield service companies and technology providers across drilling, enhanced oil recovery, field engineering and supporting infrastructure.

Against this backdrop, SSOP 2026 will provide a platform for the Ministry of Petroleum to engage international investors, operators, service companies and technology providers on the next phase of South Sudan’s petroleum-sector development.

Led by Director General Freddy Mwamba Kanyinku, the delegation will participate in discussions and networking engagements as the DRC seeks to strengthen mineral certification, traceability and value addition across its mining sector.

AMW 2026 coincides with the DRC’s drive to unlock an estimated $24 trillion in mineral wealth, with CEEC strengthening the certification and traceability systems needed to support investment and local value addition.

A key milestone for CEEC in 2026 was the certification of the DRC’s first lithium exports. In July, the agency certified the first lithium lots destined for international markets from Manono Lithium, expanding its role as lithium emerges alongside established Congolese mineral supply chains including copper, cobalt, gold, diamonds and 3T minerals.

The milestone comes as lithium emerges as a new component of the DRC’s critical-minerals strategy and demonstrates the importance of robust certification systems as the country diversifies its mineral production base and brings new projects online.

CEEC is also decentralizing its analytical and certification infrastructure across key provinces to improve operational oversight. Recent developments include the launch of a dedicated traceability office at Kamoto Copper Company in Lualaba Province, aimed at tracking copper and cobalt flows.

The agency is also developing its Lubumbashi National Laboratory to facilitate localized mineral analysis. The facility is scheduled for completion before the end of 2026 and is being developed to support mineral analysis and certification, with the complex targeting ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation.

CEEC is also expanding its international engagement as mineral diplomacy becomes increasingly important to the development of critical-mineral supply chains. In 2026, the institution acquired a representative building in Durban, South Africa, creating a platform for greater engagement with regional and international mining stakeholders and supporting the promotion of Congolese mineral products, traceability and responsible sourcing.

Against this backdrop, AMW 2026 provides an ideal platform for CEEC executives to engage with international investors, mining companies, governments, financial institutions and technology providers exploring opportunities across the DRC’s mining sector.

Taking place in Caracas from 22–25 February 2027, VEW comes at a significant point for bp’s activities in the country. In April 2026, the company signed a memorandum of understanding with the Venezuelan Government covering the development of the Cocuina-Manakin gas field, which straddles the maritime border between Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago, while also opening discussions around opportunities in the offshore Loran gas field and other exploration areas.

The agreement marked bp’s renewed entry into Venezuela and builds on the company’s long-standing presence in neighboring Trinidad and Tobago. bp operates the Manakin portion of the cross-border field, while the Venezuelan Cocuina section forms part of the country’s undeveloped Deltana Platform. The company has said it is pursuing development of the field with the potential to bring more than 1 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of natural gas into Trinidad for LNG production.

Momentum around the project continued through 2026. In August, Trinidad and Tobago’s National Gas Company (NGC) agreed to acquire a 20% participating interest in the Manakin portion of the field from bp, strengthening the cross-border commercial structure around the development. bp and NGC have also agreed to market 70% of the project’s gas to Atlantic LNG, where bp holds a 45% stake alongside Shell, with the remaining gas intended for petrochemical use. A final investment decision is expected by the end of 2026.

The developments place bp at the intersection of Venezuela’s emerging offshore gas opportunity and Trinidad and Tobago’s efforts to strengthen gas supply for its LNG and petrochemical industries. They also demonstrate how Venezuela’s offshore resources could increasingly connect into established regional energy infrastructure and markets.

bp’s interest extends beyond Cocuina-Manakin. Its April 2026 agreement also covered exploration opportunities in the Loran gas field, estimated at around 7 tcf, alongside potential collaboration on gas commercialization. In June, Venezuela signed agreements with Shell to advance Phase I of Loran, while bp was identified as a prospective participant in both Loran and the neighboring Cocuina-Manakin project.

For Venezuela, the activity comes amid a broader reopening of the sector to international energy companies and renewed efforts to develop offshore gas resources, attract capital and technical expertise, and establish new routes to market. VEW 2027 will bring together government representatives, PDVSA, international operators, investors, service companies and technology providers to examine these opportunities across the value chain.

As a Gold Sponsor, bp will have a platform at the event to engage with stakeholders shaping Venezuela’s next phase of energy development and share its perspective on offshore gas, cross-border projects, gas commercialization and regional energy security.

With Cocuina-Manakin progressing and Loran emerging as another major offshore opportunity, bp’s participation will bring its experience in developing cross-border gas resources and connecting them to regional markets into discussions at VEW 2027.

VEW is Organized by Energy Capital & Power and taking place under the patronage of Acting President Delcy Rodriguez, PDVSA and the Ministry of Hydrocarbons.