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Establishing a Highly Competitive Domestic Hydrocarbons Market in Nigeria

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Nigeria

Local content regulations and the implementation of the AfCFTA have triggered the creation of a highly competitive domestic hydrocarbons market within Africa’s second largest oil producer

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, July 19, 2022/APO Group/ — 

Nigeria represents one of the continent’s most mature oil and gas markets as well as the second largest oil producer in sub-Saharan Africa. The country’s energy achievements have largely been attributed to the participation of various international oil companies (IOC), including TotalEnergies, Shell, Eni, Chevron and ExxonMobil – who, according to Woomac, collectively have equity participation in over 110 oil mining licenses and are responsible for 45% of the country’s oil production – as well as the leadership of the state-owned Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). However, with IOC divestment from key hydrocarbon assets in light of the energy transition, Nigeria’s local companies have stepped up, driven by local content-oriented regulation and the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA).

Market-Driven Policies Improve Domestic Participation

Nigeria represents a trendsetter within the African oil and gas space regarding the implementation of local content policies that aim to drive local company participation. In 2010, the government established the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (Local Content Act), a comprehensive framework to promote indigenous participation in the sector. Specifically, the Local Content Act prescribes minimum thresholds for the use of local products and services; the promotion of skills and technology transfer for the Nigerian labor force; ensures value addition and job creation; and the awarding of oil and gas contracts and undertakings to local companies. In this sense, the regulation has been instrumental in improving the role local companies play while creating a highly competitive domestic market in Nigeria. With a Bill for the amendment of the Act currently being deliberated – in which modifications include widening the definition of Nigerian companies and capacity compliance while revising minimum target levels for imported items – Nigeria is committed to significantly improving local content across the sector.

Meanwhile, representing a key driver of Nigeria’s domestic market, the implementation of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) in 2021 has further supported Nigeria’s domestic market. While the PIA comprises a complete overhaul of the oil and gas industry, commercializing the NNPC, introducing two regulatory agencies and ensuring increased transparency and accountability, the legislation focuses predominantly on revenue and natural resource management. Therefore, the Local Content Act remains imperative in the country and will continue to enhance the domestic sector.  

Nigerian companies have been able to increase their penetration in regional markets, ensuring increased competitiveness across the regional market

Capitalizing on AfCFTA Opportunities

With an enabling environment in place to spur local company participation, the implementation of the AfCFTA in January 2021 only served to enhance the participation of Nigeria’s indigenous companies, creating new opportunities for intra-African trade and commerce. Specifically, the AfCFTA comprises the reduction of tariff and non-tariff barriers, the simplification of custom procedures and the elimination of red tape so as to create a single market for goods, persons and services. For Nigeria, the AfCFTA is particularly important, as it has improved regional supply networks, domestic job opportunities and capacity building across the regional oil and gas industry. Now, Nigerian companies can benefit from improved export opportunities, regional investment and access to new logistic and distribution supply chains. In this regard, Nigerian companies have been able to increase their penetration in regional markets, ensuring increased competitiveness across the regional market.

Nigerian Companies take the Lead

Backed by the PIA, the Local Content Act and the opportunities created by the AfCFTA, local companies across the entire energy value chain in Nigeria have significantly improved their participation in the sector. On the service company front, companies such as AOS Orwell, the largest indigenous oilfield services company in Nigeria; Tecon Oil Services, supplying a myriad of services to E&P companies in Nigeria’s upstream industry; and Century Energy Services Limited, one of the largest providers of Operations & Maintenance services in west Africa, have positioned themselves as key enablers of Nigeria’s oil and gas market growth.

Meanwhile, on the upstream side, companies such as the newly reformed NNPC and its subsidiary the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company; Amni International Petroleum Development Company, active in a variety of offshore basins across west Africa; Emerald Energy Resources, an independent oil company with a vision to seek and acquire profitable new reserves in Nigeria; Frontier Oil Corporation, a wholly owned Nigerian E&P company formed in 2001; South Atlantic Petroleum, a privately held Nigerian oil and gas E&P company with a portfolio of high-quality assets in west Africa; and Eroton E&P, an independent oil and gas producing company operating OML 18 in the Niger Delta, are driving Nigerian E&P activities. These companies are leading the country into a new era of domestic market growth while increasing the penetration of Nigerian companies in regional markets.

With Nigeria having partnered with the African Energy Chamber (AEC) for the 2022 edition of the continent’s premier energy event, African Energy Week (AEW) 2022 – taking place from October 18-21 in Cape Town and under the theme, ‘Exploring and Investing in Africa’s Energy Future while Driving an Enabling Environment’ – the country’s domestic market is set to make a strong case for investment and development in west Africa. By taking part in panel discussions, debates and networking functions, Nigerian companies will lead dialogue and decision-making regarding Africa’s energy future.

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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