CAPE TOWN, South Africa, May 28, 2026/APO Group/ –Hon. Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Federal Republic of Nigeria, has been confirmed as a featured speaker at African Energy Week (AEW) 2026, where he is expected to outline Nigeria’s accelerating upstream transformation and its expanding role as one of Africa’s leading oil and gas investment destinations.

 

Nigeria’s energy sector has recorded one of its strongest investment cycles in a decade, driven by regulatory reforms under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), improved fiscal incentives and renewed confidence from international oil companies (IOCs) and indigenous operators.

 

In 2025 alone, Nigeria approved 28 new Field Development Plans valued at $18.2 billion, unlocking an estimated 1.4 billion barrels of crude oil reserves, according to government disclosures. These approvals mark a decisive shift toward accelerating project execution timelines and reversing years of stalled upstream development.

 

Lokpobiri has consistently credited this momentum to reforms under the PIA, alongside faster licensing processes and investment-friendly fiscal adjustments. Speaking in Abuja earlier this year, he noted that Nigeria secured four of seven major Final Investment Decisions in Africa between 2024 and 2025, positioning the country as a leading upstream investment hub on the continent.

 

A central pillar of this resurgence is Shell’s Bonga deepwater complex, where the company has taken a $5 billion final investment decision on the Bonga North project, a subsea tie-back expected to add over 300 million barrels of recoverable resources and significantly boost long-term output from the FPSO hub. The development is widely viewed as a benchmark for Nigeria’s renewed deepwater competitiveness.

 

Meanwhile, ExxonMobil’s planned investment in the Usan deepwater oil field is expected to inject up to $1.5 billion between 2025 and 2027, supporting production revitalization through new drilling and infrastructure upgrades.

 

Alongside IOC-led expansion, Nigeria’s indigenous producers are increasingly central to near-term output growth, with Heirs Energies targeting up to 100,000 barrels per day as it ramps up development across its onshore Niger Delta portfolio, including OML 17. This momentum is complemented by Seplat Energy’s optimization of its expanded onshore portfolio following the ExxonMobil acquisition, reinforcing the growing role of local operators in stabilising production and driving Nigeria’s short-term output gains.

 

Lokpobiri is also expected to highlight Nigeria’s broader energy transition framework at AEW 2026, which seeks to balance oil production growth with gas monetization, domestic refining expansion and increased local content participation. His policy messaging has consistently emphasized that Nigeria’s oil and gas sector is structured to accommodate both IOCs and a growing base of indigenous operators.

 

“Nigeria is once again proving what is possible when policy meets execution,” said NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the African Energy Chamber. “Under leaders like Heineken Lokpobiri, we are seeing renewed seriousness about production, investment and getting projects across the line – from deepwater developments to indigenous-led growth. This is exactly the kind of momentum Africa needs: not promises, but barrels, projects, and bankable deals.”

 

As AEW 2026 prepares to convene policymakers, investors, and operators from across Africa and beyond, Lokpobiri’s address is expected to serve as one of the defining policy moments of the conference – spotlighting Nigeria’s resurgence at the center of Africa’s upstream growth story and its ambition to convert recent investment momentum into sustained production gains.

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, May 27, 2026/APO Group/ –Energy solutions provider Zarein Energy will participate as a Gold Sponsor at the 2026 edition of African Energy Week (AEW) 2026, scheduled for October 12–16 in Cape Town. The company’s participation comes as it accelerates development of the Kwale Free Trade Zone gas and petrochemical project in Delta State, Nigeria, targeting large-scale gas processing, captive power generation and petrochemical manufacturing.

 

Held under the theme “Invest in African Energies: Affordable and Abundant Energy Additions,” AEW 2026 serves as the premier platform connecting investors, operators, infrastructure developers and policymakers across the African energy sector. Zarein Energy’s sponsorship underscores growing investor attention on Nigeria’s gas monetization, industrialization and special economic zone strategies.

 

Incorporated in July 2024, Zarein Energy operates as a private midstream-focused company targeting gas-to-industry commercialization. The company’s strategy avoids upstream exploration risk, instead focusing on processing infrastructure, logistics integration and captive utility systems designed to bridge stranded gas reserves with industrial consumers across West Africa.

 

Its flagship Kwale Free Trade Zone project is being developed as a 1,000-hectare integrated industrial and midstream hub in Delta State. The project, formally launched during a groundbreaking ceremony led by Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, is designed to provide reliable lower-cost utilities for energy-intensive manufacturing sectors operating within Nigeria’s expanding industrial corridor.

 

The development is strategically anchored to the OB3 (Obiafu-Obrikom-Oben) gas pipeline network and incorporates a four-layer gas supply structure. Primary feedstock sources include the Kwale Gas Gathering Hub alongside supply connections linked to Zenergie’s Processing Plant, Ebendo-Energia, Pillar and Agip’s Kwale-Okwai flow stations. Infrastructure plans support regional throughput volumes ranging from 40 million standard cubic feet per day (MMscf/d) to 300 MMscf/d.

 

Zarein Energy’s industrial framework includes scalable gas processing plants, petrochemical production lines and centralized captive power generation facilities positioned directly alongside industrial tenants. By collocating utility infrastructure with manufacturing operations, the company aims to reduce transmission losses, stabilize power availability and lower operational costs for manufacturers establishing operations within the free trade ecosystem.

 

The broader Kwale Free Trade Zone master plan also segments operations into dedicated petrochemical, agro-processing, manufacturing and logistics zones. High-clearance transport corridors and logistics yards are being designed to improve regional trade flows to Nigerian coastal ports and neighboring West African markets. Eight major corporate entities including Zarein Energy, have already secured operational layouts within the industrial development.

 

“Zarein Energy’s participation as a Gold Sponsor at African Energy Week 2026 reflects the growing momentum behind Nigeria’s gas commercialization and industrialization agenda. The development of the Kwale Free Trade Zone demonstrates how African companies are creating integrated infrastructure that converts natural gas resource into power, petrochemicals and long-term industrial growth,” says NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman, African Energy Chamber.

 

As the Kwale Free Trade Zone advances through FEED compliance, permitting and pipeline route validation stages, Zarein Energy continues expanding technical recruitment partnerships and strategic financing discussions. Their participation at AEW 2026 is expected to support the company’s broader capital formation, partnership outreach and regional visibility objectives as Nigeria intensifies efforts to commercialize domestic gas reserves and expand industrial energy infrastructure.

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, May 26, 2026/APO Group/ –Global energy services and oilfield equipment provider NOV has joined the African Energy Week (AEW) (www.AECWeek.com) 2026 Conference and Exhibition as a Gold Sponsor, reinforcing the company’s commitment to supporting Africa’s upstream growth, offshore expansion and energy infrastructure development. NOV’s participation comes as African oil and gas producers accelerate drilling campaigns and fast-track project execution to strengthen energy security, industrialization and export revenues.

 

As demand for advanced oilfield technologies and drilling services grows across the continent, NOV is positioning itself at the forefront of Africa’s next phase of hydrocarbon development. The company’s portfolio spans drilling automation, digital well optimization, offshore rig systems, production technologies and FPSO-related equipment, placing it among the leading technology providers supporting increasingly complex African oil and gas projects.

NOV’s participation at AEW 2026 is particularly timely as mature producers such as Angola, Nigeria, Algeria, Libya, Gabon and Equatorial Guinea intensify drilling activity to sustain production and unlock additional reserves. At the same time, frontier markets, including Namibia, Mozambique and Sierra Leone, are advancing new offshore exploration campaigns that require advanced deepwater technologies and efficient project execution capabilities.

In Egypt, NOV recently demonstrated the impact of its digital drilling technologies through the deployment of its Drilling Beliefs & Analytics solution in the Western Desert. By leveraging remote operations and real-time monitoring of machinery and well conditions, the operator achieved the longest bit run in the field’s history while improving drilling efficiency and reducing operational costs. The project eliminated the need for multiple in-person site visits, saving approximately $75,000, highlighting how automation is increasingly reshaping Africa’s upstream sector.

NOV’s NOVOS automation platform and Kaizen AI drilling optimization systems are expected to play an increasingly important role as African operators expand offshore drilling programs where efficiency, safety and reduced non-productive time have become critical priorities.

Beyond drilling optimization, NOV continues to strengthen its role in Africa’s gas monetization drive. In 2024, the company secured multiple orders for advanced gas processing and water treatment equipment packages for floating production storage and offloading units destined for operations in West Africa. The contracts reinforce NOV’s growing participation in offshore gas infrastructure projects supporting regional energy resilience, LNG expansion and export capacity growth.

“Africa’s economic stability will depend heavily on its ability to drill more wells, develop infrastructure faster and commercialize its oil and gas resources efficiently,” stated NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the African Energy Chamber. “The digital transformation taking place across the global energy industry cannot be ignored, and NOV is bringing advanced innovation into African oil and gas operations to simplify processes, improve safety and accelerate project delivery.”

NOV’s participation at AEW 2026 reflects its broader ambitions to scale its services across the continent. As the largest energy gathering in Africa, the event convenes operators, investors, policymakers and service providers to discuss the future of the continent’s energy sector.