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Chevron Expands Namibia Presence with Petroleum Exploration License 82 (PEL 82) Farm-in, Signaling Growing International Oil Company (IOC) Interest in African Energy

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African Energy

With Chevron’s latest farm-in offshore Namibia highlighting Africa’s investment appeal, African Energy Week: Invest in African Energies 2025 will explore strategies for structuring attractive PSCs and securing high-impact farm-in agreements in Africa’s oil and gas sector

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, February 13, 2025/APO Group/ –Africa’s oil and gas sector continues to draw interest from international oil companies (IOCs) through well-structured Production Sharing Contracts (PSCs) and strategic farm-in agreements. Last week, US major Chevron completed a farm-in agreement with Custos Energy for PEL 82 in the Walvis Basin offshore Namibia. Under this transaction, Chevron acquired an 80% participating interest and operatorship, while Custos and the National Petroleum Company of Namibia each retained a 10% interest.

The transaction marks a significant step in the development of Namibia’s offshore oil and gas sector. PEL 82, which covers blocks 2112B and 2212A, is considered one of the most attractive opportunities in the Walvis Basin. Notably, around 70% of the total block area is already covered by extensive seismic data – over 3,500 km of 2D and 9,500 km² of 3D data. Previous drilling activities on PEL 82, such as the Murombe-1 and Wingat-1 wells, have provided valuable insights into the potential of the area. Chevron’s acquisition of an interest in PEL 82 complements its existing offshore exploration efforts in Namibia, where it operates PEL 90 in the Orange Basin. Chevron’s entry into PEL 82 is part of its broader strategy to expand its exploration acreage in promising global geological plays and further solidifies Namibia’s position as a leading frontier for oil and gas exploration.

One of the most critical factors in attracting IOCs is ensuring that PSCs offer favorable fiscal terms. Competitive tax regimes and profit-sharing models create incentives for investment while allowing governments to secure a fair share of revenues. Equally important is regulatory stability. Consistent and transparent policies provide companies with long-term security, minimizing uncertainties that can deter investment.

Beyond Namibia, other African nations have been structuring PSCs that continue to draw in international investors. In Equatorial Guinea, the government signed agreements in June 2024 with Chevron for offshore Blocks EG-06 and EG-11. These contracts, established in partnership with GEPetrol, outline minimum investment requirements, detailed exploration programs, and commitments to sustainable development. The attractiveness of these PSCs is largely due to their location near the productive Block B, home to the Zafiro field, and the clarity of development plans that ensure both state benefits and commercial viability.

Algeria has also seen success in crafting appealing PSCs. In 2022, a consortium led by TotalEnergies and including Sonatrach, Occidental and Eni extended a 25-year PSC for Blocks 404a and 208 in the Berkine Basin. The agreement, worth an estimated $4 billion in investment, is set to unlock over one billion barrels of oil equivalent and is made possible under Algeria’s updated hydrocarbon law, offering enhanced fiscal incentives and greater investor confidence.

Farm-in agreements, like the one recently completed by Chevron, play a pivotal role in fostering collaboration and facilitating resource-sharing and risk mitigation in oil and gas projects. By acquiring stakes in existing exploration or production blocks, companies ensure that projects with high potential receive the necessary capital and expertise to move forward. Successful farm-ins typically focus on assets with proven reserves or strong geological prospects, as seen with Chevron’s PEL 82 acquisition, which has extensive seismic coverage and previous drilling activity. This ensures that the project is not only viable but positioned for long-term success.

Other notable farm-in agreements across Africa highlight the continent’s growing appeal to IOCs. For instance, Azule Energy recently acquired a stake in Block 2914A in Namibia’s Orange Basin, further reinforcing the country’s emerging status as a key player in offshore exploration. Similarly, Africa Oil Corp has entered the offshore sector in Equatorial Guinea with PSCs for Blocks EG-18 and EG-31, signaling a revitalization of the country’s offshore exploration.

The success of PSCs and farm-in agreements across Africa underscores the continent’s ability to compete for investment in a rapidly evolving global energy market. By maintaining investor-friendly policies, regulatory stability and fostering strategic partnerships, African nations can continue to attract capital and expertise to sustainably develop their oil and gas resources. Discussions on structuring attractive PSCs and fostering high-impact farm-in agreements will take place at African Energy Week (AEW): Invest in African Energies 2025, bringing together industry leaders, investors and policymakers to explore strategies for maximizing Africa’s hydrocarbon potential and establishing mutually beneficial partnerships. With major players like Chevron expanding their footprint on the continent, AEW 2025 serves as the ideal platform for dealmaking, networking and shaping the future of Africa’s energy landscape.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Chamber.

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Namibia’s Orange Basin Moves Toward First Oil at African Energy Week (AEW) 2026

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African Energy Chamber

The “Invest in Namibia: Transforming Discoveries into Production” session will examine how Namibia can turn its offshore oil boom into a broader industrial opportunity through local suppliers, skills development, technology transfer and domestic investment

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, August 27, 2026/APO Group/ –After a series of major offshore discoveries transformed Namibia into one of the world’s most closely watched exploration frontiers, attention is shifting from proving resources to building the infrastructure, partnerships and industrial capabilities needed to bring them into production. At African Energy Week (AEW) 2026, the session “Invest in Namibia: Transforming Discoveries into Production. Orange Basin’s Path to First Oil” will examine how the country can capture value beyond the development of individual oil fields and use the emerging petroleum sector as a catalyst for wider economic growth.





 

TotalEnergies’ Venus discovery is technically ready to move toward a Final Investment Decision, with negotiations on fiscal terms still underway. The project’s development concept targets around 150,000 barrels per day at peak production, with first oil potentially around 2030. FEED has been completed and major contractors selected, bringing Namibia’s first potential deepwater oil development closer to execution.

The real measure of Namibia’s oil opportunity will not simply be how many barrels it produces, but how much economic value those barrels create at home

Meanwhile, the Orange Basin continues to attract major international players. TotalEnergies and Galp strengthened their positions across the Venus and Mopane discoveries in 2025, with TotalEnergies becoming operator of Mopane and Galp taking a participating interest in Venus. In August 2026, Equinor agreed to acquire a 17.4% stake in Chevron’s PEL 90, marking its first upstream entry into a new country since 2017. The block is expected to see another exploration well before the end of the year.

The scale of investment now being contemplated makes the question of local economic participation increasingly urgent. Namibia’s draft Local Content Policy identifies the development of national capabilities, employment, local procurement and stronger domestic value chains as central to ensuring that petroleum resources generate benefits beyond government revenues. The government has also highlighted technical training and partnerships with universities and industry as priorities for preparing Namibians for the emerging oil and gas sector.

For Namibia, this means moving beyond an export-led model in which capital, equipment and specialist expertise flow in and crude flows out. Developing local suppliers, financing Namibian businesses, building research and training hubs and creating opportunities for joint ventures could help establish capabilities that extend well beyond the life of individual oil projects. The opportunity spans engineering and fabrication, logistics, marine services, environmental management, digital technologies and other areas of the petroleum supply chain.

“The real measure of Namibia’s oil opportunity will not simply be how many barrels it produces, but how much economic value those barrels create at home,” said NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the African Energy Chamber. “Namibia has a chance to build a competitive African energy industry around its discoveries – one that creates jobs, develops local companies, transfers technology and gives Namibians a meaningful stake in the country’s energy future.”

The session will look beyond first oil itself to the ecosystem required to sustain production and translate upstream investment into long-term industrial development. With Venus, Mopane and further Orange Basin exploration moving toward development, Namibia has an opportunity to establish the commercial partnerships, financing structures and technical capabilities needed to ensure its petroleum boom becomes an economy-wide growth story.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Chamber.




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BUTEC, secures major Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contract for Casablanca Waste-to-Energy Project

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BUTEC

Serving a population of more than 4.2 million people across Greater Casablanca, this project represents a significant step in the region’s transition towards a more sustainable and circular approach to waste management

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, August 28, 2026/APO Group/ –The consortium comprising Nareva, Kanadevia Inova and Itochu Corporation, through its 33.5-year concession agreement with the Municipality of Casablanca, has entrusted BUTEC (www.BUTEC.com) with a major Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contract for Casablanca’s landmark Waste-to-Energy (WtE) project, leveraging BUTEC’s multidisciplinary engineering and contracting capabilities for one of Morocco’s most significant waste management and energy recovery developments.

 

For the delivery of this landmark project, BUTEC has joined forces with the Switzerland-based Kanadevia Inova, a global leader in Waste-to-Energy and renewable gas solutions.

Located northwest of the Mediouna landfill in the Casablanca-Settat region of the Kingdom of Morocco, this ultra-large waste incineration facility will process approximately 1.5 million tonnes of non-recyclable waste annually, significantly reducing reliance on landfill.

By diverting the waste from landfill and converting it into energy, this plant is expected to prevent up to 1.0 tonne of CO₂-equivalent emissions per tonne of waste while generating 126 MWe of baseload electricity.

BUTEC is establishing itself as the generalist EPC contractor of choice in this strategic sector

Serving a population of more than 4.2 million people across Greater Casablanca, this project represents a significant step in the region’s transition towards a more sustainable and circular approach to waste management, while supporting Morocco’s broader energy transition and long-term decarbonization ambitions.

BUTEC’s Scope of Work:

While Kanadevia Inova is responsible for the technology and the process part of the EPC works, as well as operations support, long-term maintenance, and financing of the facility, BUTEC will be responsible for civil works for the whole facility and for the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) of Non-Process buildings, facilities, and associated works, including all civil, structural, architectural, mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) works, as well as the external infrastructure works required for the Project.

Commenting on the significance of the award, Raymond Daou (SVP Strategy & Business Development) stated:

“Building on our affiliates’ long-standing presence in Morocco, where BUTEC has established itself as one of the country’s leading players in Electromechanical Solutions, the Group is reinforcing, through this landmark contract, its contribution to the Kingdom’s sustainable development ambitions.

Furthermore, with three consecutive large-scale Waste-to-Energy projects across the geographies in which it operates, BUTEC is establishing itself as the generalist EPC contractor of choice in this strategic sector. This latest award confirms once again our ability to combine multidisciplinary engineering expertise, strong local execution capabilities and close cooperation with world-leading process technology partners to deliver complex energy and environmental facilities.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of BUTEC Group.

 

 




 

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Asantehene opens Africa Business Investment Summit in Washington, DC with a $500m Investment Target in Africa

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Asantehene

The opening ceremony, themed “The Asante Crown Meets the Diaspora,” convened more than 400 registered delegates, including senior government officials, C-suite executives, and US-based institutional investors

 




 

WASHINGTON D.C., United States of America, August 28, 2026/APO Group/ —

  • Asantehene presented a royal vision for Africa’s economic renaissance
  • Day 1 proceeded under the theme – The Vision Day: Unlocking Africa’s Century, A Diaspora Mandate”
  • Fireside chat with Boris Kodjoe on The Diaspora Return

The Africa Business Investment Summit 2026 opened this morning at the MGM National Harbor, in Washington D.C. Metro, with a royal keynote by the Summit’s Patron, His Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Asantehene, as the Millennium Excellence Week hosts its first event outside of Ghana.

The opening ceremony, themed “The Asante Crown Meets the Diaspora,” convened more than 400 registered delegates, including senior government officials, C-suite executives, and US-based institutional investors. They were drawn together under a single mandate: to facilitate $500 million in structured capital commitments between African deal originators and US institutional capital during the two-day summit.

Delivering his keynote address, His Majesty articulated a vision of African economic sovereignty where the diaspora serves as architects of continental development. Speaking with characteristic authority, His Majesty called on African governments, diaspora communities, and international institutional partners to align capital, policy frameworks, and political will behind a shared agenda for the continent’s economic future.

In his address, His Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Asantehene said: “For too long, Africa has been described mainly in terms of its deficiencies. We have heard of the roads not built, the electricity not generated, the jobs not created, the capital not available, and the institutions not strong enough,”

For too long, Africa has been described mainly in terms of its deficiencies

Speaking further he noted that “Africa must no longer be regarded merely as a continent of future potential. Africa is already becoming a central part of the future global economy, and those who understand this early will position themselves advantageously.”

Honorable Sampson Ahi, Deputy Minister for Trade, Agribusiness, and Industry, who represented the President of the Republic of Ghana, detailed macroeconomic indicators signalling domestic economic recovery and industrial policy priorities: “ Our ambition is transformation. We want an economy that moves beyond exporting raw materials to manufacturing finished products, creating value, jobs, and shared prosperity. We want capital that drives productivity, entrepreneurship, and innovation. This is the philosophy behind the twenty-four-hour economy program, which is a commitment stimulating round-the-clock production, improving productivity, and developing a competitive and export-oriented economy.”

The first day of the summit concluded under the theme “The Vision Day: Unlocking Africa’s Century, A Diaspora Mandate”, exploring through a series of plenary sessions the most pressing deal themes in US–Africa investment today.

Programme spotlights included: The Diaspora Return, a fireside chat with Boris Kodjoe, Beyond Remittances: Building Africa’s Sixth Region, diaspora capital beyond transfers, The New Gold Rush: Africa’s Seat at America’s Critical Minerals Table,  Ghana’s Gold Moment: From the Gold Coast to Global Market Power, The Diaspora Dollar: Fintech and the Next Remittance Corridor and Powering the Continent: Energy, Infrastructure and the US–Africa Partnership

The second and final day of the event will continue to explore investment opportunities across the continent through sector spotlights on the Creative Economy, Health & Pharma, Technology, and Digital Financial Services.

Following these plenaries, the event will conclude with bilateral investment meetings that will translate the vision outlined in the plenary hall into concrete investment decisions.

Review Day 1 Plenary Sessions: https://apo-opa.co/4cPkRRP

Watch Day 2 Live Stream: https://apo-opa.co/4gYIxFP

  • Day 2 to explore investment opportunities and conclude with bilateral investment meetings

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Millennium Excellence Foundation.

 

 




 

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