LAGOS, Nigeria, April 23, 2026/APO Group/ –The African Energy Chamber (AEC) (www.EnergyChamber.org) commends the Nigerian Federal Government for its decisive and timely intervention in the Dawes Island marginal field dispute, reinforcing the country’s commitment to protecting indigenous investment and sustaining momentum in oil and gas production growth.

 

Following the recent Federal High Court ruling concerning the Dawes Island field, the Office of the Attorney General has moved swiftly to coordinate a response, directing the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) to initiate an appeal. The NUPRC has since formally filed an application for leave to appeal, signaling a clear and unified government effort to uphold regulatory integrity and ensure continuity for operators delivering tangible results.

This proactive intervention sends a strong message to both domestic and international stakeholders: Nigeria remains committed to fostering a stable and predictable investment climate where performance, capital deployment and production are recognized and protected.

At the center of the dispute is Petralon 54 Limited, the Nigerian-owned operator of the Dawes Island oil block, which assumed operatorship in2021 following a marginal bid process. Since then, the company has invested approximately $60 million to rehabilitate infrastructure, drill multiple wells and bring the field into production – an achievement that stands out within Nigeria’s marginal field landscape.

Within a short timeframe, Petralon successfully drilled two wells –  DI-2 to 9,740 ft and DI-3 to 10,193 ft – evacuating over 200,000 barrels of crude to the Bonny Terminal and remitting excess of $900,000 in royalties to the Federal Government by March 2026. These results underscore the importance of ensuring that operators who deliver on their commitments are supported through consistent and transparent regulatory processes.

“The Nigerian government’s swift action demonstrates a clear understanding of what is at stake,” said NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the AEC. “Protecting investors who deploy capital, create value and contribute to national production is essential to maintaining confidence in the sector. This intervention reinforces Nigeria’s position as a serious and responsive energy investment destination.”

The development comes at a pivotal moment for Nigeria’s energy sector. Under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu, the country has seen renewed investor interest, with over $8 billion in upstream investment commitments recorded since 2023. Major projects, including Shell’s $2 billion final investment decision on the HI offshore gas project, TotalEnergies’ Ubeta development and Shell’s Bonga North deepwater project, highlight the scale of capital being mobilized.

Additional financing, such as Chevron’s $1.4 billion for deep and shallow water infill drilling, further reflects growing confidence in Nigeria’s regulatory and investment framework. Meanwhile, discussions around large-scale opportunities like the proposed Bonga South West development – potentially worth up to $20 billion – underscore the country’s long-term growth potential.

Indigenous companies remain central to this trajectory, now accounting for approximately 30% of Nigeria’s oil and gas production. Their role in driving output, creating jobs and strengthening local capacity continues to expand, making policy consistency and investment protection more critical than ever.

In parallel, downstream advancements such as Aliko Dangote’s 650,000-barrel-per-day refinery in Lagos are enhancing regional energy security, with increased exports of refined products helping to stabilize supply across African markets.

The AEC emphasizes that the government’s coordinated response to the Dawes Island case reflects a broader commitment to ensuring that Nigeria’s “drill or drop” policy is upheld – rewarding operators that actively develop assets while maintaining accountability across the sector.

The Chamber encourages all parties to support a swift and constructive resolution to the case, ensuring that ongoing operations are not disrupted and that Nigeria’s energy sector continues on its path toward increased output, energy security and economic resilience.

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, April 22, 2026/APO Group/ –The African Energy Chamber (AEC) (www.EnergyChamber.org) has reiterated that it will continue boycotting the upcoming Africa Energies Summit – hosted by Frontier Energy Network in London – until meaningful changes are made to the event’s approach to local content and hiring practices. The Chamber’s position reflects mounting concern across the African energy sector that platforms claiming to represent the continent are failing to include African professionals – particularly Black Africans – in leadership and decision-making roles.

The AEC has been explicit: this is no longer a matter of engagement or dialogue, but one of accountability. Despite repeated calls for reform, the organizers of the summit have not demonstrated a willingness to address concerns around exclusion, particularly the lack of Black African representation at senior levels within an Africa-focused platform. For the AEC, this undermines both the credibility and the legitimacy of the event.

“Our position remains the same: if you benefit from Africa’s resources and its development agenda, then you must reflect Africa in your leadership, hiring and decision-making. Local content can no longer be smoke and mirrors – it must be a tangible commitment to inclusion, opportunity and ownership. We cannot accept a situation where Africa is central to the conversation, but Africans are absent from leadership,” states NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman, AEC.

The decision to continue the boycott comes amid a mass withdrawal by the African public and private sector from the upcoming summit, with stakeholders citing repeated failures by the organizers to address concerns around local content and participation. In March 2026, Mozambique’s oil and gas sector withdrew from the summit, with the Mozambique Energy Chamber expressing that its members will not be attending. In April 2026, Ghana followed suite, citing similar concerns as well as discriminatory hiring practices that sidelined African professionals. This reflects a broader position: Africa will not support events that exclude African professionals.

For its part, the AEC has been firm on this position. Delivering a keynote address to downstream players during ARDA Week 2026, Ayuk called for a continental shift to ‘refine, baby refine,’ highlighting the need for African-led innovation and infrastructure development to address energy security challenges. Drawing attention to African-led projects such as the Dangote Refinery – Africa’s largest facility at 650,000 barrels per day – as well as indigenous companies such as Sahara Group, Ayuk stressed that “energy poverty cannot only be an ideology but action,” emphasizing the need to invest more in local communities, companies and projects.

The Chamber reinforced this position during the Namibia International Energy Conference in Windhoek last week, where discussions largely centered around local content, women in energy and advancing the country’s oil boom. During the event, the Chamber called for strong local content frameworks and inclusive leadership, highlighting that through strengthened participation and policies that advocate for gender diversity, the country could position oil and gas as an engine for growth. The behavior of organizations such as Frontier Energy Network and individuals such as Daniel Davidson threaten to undermine these efforts, posing a structural risk to Africa’s energy development.

“It will be incredibly dangerous to have the vision of Daniel Davidson and Frontier Energy Network guide how the continent deals with energy poverty, investments and the development of fields in Namibia, Mozambique and across Africa. Over the coming weeks we will intensify our campaign to boycott the summit. But the industry must do more: seismic companies that continue enabling these horrible policies will also be targeted. They are aiding and abetting anti-African policies. Multi-client data does not work with discrimination,” added Ayuk.

The AEC has made it clear that its position will not shift without tangible change. For the Chamber and its partners, the issue is not about exclusion in return, but about establishing a baseline of fairness, representation and mutual respect. Until that standard is met, the boycott will remain in place.

PARIS, France, April 22, 2026/APO Group/ –A new joint venture between PetroGuin and Tender Oil and Gas marks a step forward in unlocking Guinea-Bissau’s offshore potential, reinforcing broader momentum across West Africa’s deepwater frontier.

Signed during the Invest in African Energy Forum in Paris on Wednesday by Petroguin Director General Alfredo Malú and Tender Oil and Gas Chairman and CEO Teodor Ovidiu Tender, the agreement for Blocks 5C and 6C reflects increasing investor confidence in a basin long constrained by capital intensity and technical barriers.

“The discovery in Senegal and Chevron’s recent entry into the deepwater blocks in Guinea-Bissau have begun to have an impact, arousing interest in the deep offshore areas of Guinea-Bissau and the subregion,” said Malú.

At the core of the agreement is a comprehensive seismic campaign, including the acquisition and interpretation of 2D and 3D data, aimed at improving subsurface understanding and supporting future drilling.

“The Partnership Agreement between Tender Oil and Gas and PetroGuin-EP will accelerate exploration work in our deep offshore areas, which previously did not attract much interest due to the heavy investment and advanced technologies required,” said Malú.

Beyond its technical scope, the partnership signals a broader shift, as frontier markets like Guinea-Bissau increasingly attract agile, partnership-driven players capable of operating in complex environments.

“It will enable greater dynamism in the country’s oil sector, with the short- and medium-term goal of advancing exploration drilling,” Malú said.

With a focus on accelerating exploration timelines and stimulating sector activity, the JV underscores the role of strategic collaboration in advancing the next phase of Africa’s deepwater development.