Winners will be announced during the AEW 2026 Gala Dinner & Awards Ceremony, taking place on Tuesday, October 13, in Cape Town. The ceremony will bring together ministers, industry leaders, investors and technology providers to recognize excellence in upstream, downstream, gas, power, local content, technology and corporate leadership.

African Service Provider of the Year

• GeoEnergy Group – for advancing digital transformation through the Egypt Upstream Gateway while strengthening local technical expertise across Africa.
• One Titanium – for delivering specialized services supporting Africa’s energy industry.
• KAESO – for expanding indigenous engineering and technical services across African markets.
• SONILS – for strengthening logistics and supply chain services for integrated energy projects.
• NIPEX – for enhancing procurement and local supplier participation in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.

International Service Provider of the Year

• NOV – for supporting major energy developments with advanced engineering and equipment solutions.
• Geoex MCG – for nearly two decades of supporting Equatorial Guinea’s offshore exploration through seismic data acquisition and licensing support.
• Africa Global Logistics – for expanding integrated logistics solutions supporting energy projects across Africa.
• Technip Energies – for delivering engineering expertise across major African energy developments.
• SBM Offshore – for advancing offshore production through industry-leading FPSO solutions.
• SLB – for deploying advanced technologies and technical services across Africa’s upstream sector.

Local Content Champion (African Companies)

• Seplat Energy – for maintaining a 98% Nigerian workforce while investing in local talent development and procurement.
• Copia Group of Companies – for strengthening indigenous participation across Angola’s energy value chain.
• Renaissance Africa Energy – for expanding Nigerian ownership and local participation in upstream operations.
• Cabship – for growing Angolan maritime and offshore services through locally driven operations.

Local Content Champion (International Companies)

• TotalEnergies Uganda – for developing the Tilenga Academy to train Uganda’s future oil and gas workforce.
• NOV – for supporting local skills development and supplier participation across African markets.
• Woodside Energy – for advancing local workforce development through its African operations.
• Africa Global Logistics – for building African logistics capacity through local employment, training and supplier development.

E&P Leader of the Year

• Shell – for the Merlin-1X discovery in Namibia and the Velox-1X discovery offshore Egypt, reinforcing its exploration leadership.
• Renaissance Africa Energy & NNPCL – for the JK-004 discovery in Nigeria’s OML 74, confirming multiple hydrocarbon-bearing reservoirs.
• Murphy Oil – for the Bubale-1X light oil discovery offshore Côte d’Ivoire in Block CI-709.
• Eni – for major discoveries in Côte d’Ivoire and Angola that expanded Africa’s offshore resource base.
• OMV & Libya’s National Oil Corporation – for the Eassar commercial oil discovery in Libya’s Sirte Basin.

Downstream & Infrastructure Leader of the Year

• Dangote Refinery – for transforming Nigeria’s refining capacity and reducing dependence on imported fuels.
• Cabinda Oil Refinery – for expanding Angola’s domestic refining capacity as part of its downstream growth strategy.
• East African Crude Oil Pipeline – for advancing one of Africa’s largest cross-border energy infrastructure projects.
• African Atlantic Gas Pipeline – for progressing a strategic regional gas corridor linking West Africa with Morocco and Europe.

Deal of the Year

• Trafigura – for its $1 billion oil prepayment agreement with the Republic of Gabon.
• Levene Energies – for acquiring a 30% stake in Axxela through the Bluecore consortium, strengthening indigenous ownership.
• Heirs Energies – for acquiring a 20.07% stake in Seplat Energy in a landmark African-led transaction.
• UTM FLNG – for advancing Nigeria’s first floating LNG project through a major multi-party development agreement.

CSR Project of the Year

• Mozambique LNG – for supporting flood recovery efforts benefiting approximately 190,000 people in southern Mozambique.
• South African National Petroleum Company – for expanding STEM education through its Axium STEMI initiative in the Eastern Cape.
• Kosmos Energy Ghana – for empowering entrepreneurs through the Kosmos Innovation Center.
• Sonangol – for supporting youth entrepreneurship through its SonaJovem program.
• Eni – for expanding clean cooking initiatives across Africa.
• Oando Foundation – for improving education through its Adopt-A-School Initiative in Nigeria.

Gas Monetization Award

• Levene Energies – for advancing gas commercialization and infrastructure-led industrial development.
• NOV APL Norway – for supporting the Nguya FLNG project and expanding offshore LNG production in Congo.
• Congo LNG – for advancing the Tango and Nguya FLNG projects to strengthen the Republic of Congo’s LNG industry.
• Amufert – for developing Angola’s flagship ammonia and urea project utilizing domestic natural gas.

Technology Innovator

• TotalEnergies – for developing the SUBLIIM digital platform to optimize subsea field layouts.
• SOLA Group – for reaching financial close on South Africa’s largest private hybrid solar and battery storage project.
• Shearwater – for deploying its Pearl ocean-bottom node technology during its first commercial survey in Angola.
• TGS & Starlink – for redefining seismic data transfer through satellite-enabled connectivity.

Power Africa Developer

• TotalEnergies – for inaugurating Africa’s largest hybrid renewable energy project.
• Siemens Energy – for expanding gas turbine and grid infrastructure supporting Africa’s growing power demand.
• Globeleq – for growing its renewable energy portfolio across wind, solar, geothermal and battery storage.
• Infinity Power – for expanding one of Africa’s largest renewable energy development portfolios.E

Taking place October 14-16 in Cape Town, AMW 2026 – The Most Influential Mining Conference in Africa – will convene government leaders, mining executives and investors to examine the strategies driving the continent’s next phase of resource development.

Confirmed keynote speakers include Daouda Diakite, Senior Advisor to the Minister, Ministry of Mines and Geology, Republic of Guinea; Yasser Ramadan, Chairman of the Egyptian Mineral Resources and Mining Industries Authority (MRMIA); and Martins Imonitie, Managing Director and CEO of the Nigerian Mining Corporation. Their keynote presentations will highlight national strategies to expand exploration, strengthen mineral beneficiation and attract investment across three of Africa’s most dynamic mining jurisdictions.

AMW 2026 comes as African governments accelerate reforms, expand exploration and prioritize value addition to unlock greater economic returns from the continent’s vast mineral resources. The conference will provide a platform for policymakers and industry leaders to discuss how these strategies are creating new opportunities across the mining value chain.

Guinea represents one of Africa’s most ambitious mining growth stories. Through its Simandou 2040 strategy, the government is leveraging its world-class iron ore and bauxite resources to drive industrialization, infrastructure development and economic diversification. Earlier this year, Guinea introduced its Planning Law and Program Law, reforms designed to strengthen long-term economic planning and improve the investment climate across the mining sector and wider economy. With more than 122 strategic projects seeking investment and an estimated $200 billion required to deliver its national development agenda, Guinea is positioning mining as a catalyst for broader economic transformation.

Egypt is also accelerating efforts to position mining as a key pillar of economic growth through expanded exploration and mineral beneficiation. In March 2026, the MRMIA launched the country’s first nationwide airborne geophysical survey in more than four decades through a partnership with Xcalibur Smart Mapping, supporting a new phase of mineral exploration and resource development. Egypt is also expanding downstream processing capacity through initiatives such as a proposed gold refinery with Afreximbank and new investments targeting value addition across gold, iron ore, phosphate and other strategic minerals.

Nigeria, meanwhile, is strengthening its mining industry as part of a broader strategy to diversify its economy beyond oil and gas. The country has attracted more than $2.6 billion in mining investment over the past two years, supported by major mineral discoveries including a world-class polymetallic province in Kaduna State containing platinum, gold, nickel, copper and rare earth elements, as well as an estimated 3.3 million metric tons of lithium resources near Abuja. With 44 identified mineral commodities and a renewed focus on attracting private capital, Nigeria is positioning mining as a major engine of long-term economic growth.

By bringing together senior policymakers from three of Africa’s fastest-evolving mining markets, AMW 2026 will offer delegates first-hand insight into the reforms, investment priorities and development strategies shaping the future of the continent’s mining industry.

Africa’s upstream sector is entering a new phase of growth, with frontier exploration, offshore discoveries and LNG developments expanding investment opportunities across the continent. As governments compete for exploration capital, demand is growing for high-quality commercial intelligence, basin analysis and licensing data to support investment decisions. AEW 2026 provides Welligence with a platform to engage directly with policymakers, operators, financiers and project developers driving Africa’s next wave of energy investment.

Welligence has established itself as a leading provider of upstream data, commercial analysis and market intelligence, supporting governments, operators and investors with asset valuations, basin intelligence, licensing analysis, emissions analytics and commercial benchmarking across global energy markets. Its research and advisory services are increasingly helping stakeholders identify high-potential investment opportunities while improving the competitiveness of African upstream markets.

This expertise is reflected in the company’s January 2026 report, Sub-Saharan Africa: What to Look for in 2026, which identifies Uganda, Kenya, Namibia and Zimbabwe among Africa’s highest-potential frontier markets, while highlighting continued investment opportunities in deepwater and LNG developments across Nigeria, Angola, Mozambique, Namibia and Tanzania.

Beyond market analysis, Welligence has expanded its advisory work across West Africa, supporting governments on licensing rounds, mergers and acquisitions, exploration campaigns and fiscal competitiveness. These services are helping countries strengthen acreage marketing strategies, improve bid-round participation and position their hydrocarbon resources more effectively to international investors. As producers including Nigeria, Ghana, Ivory Coast and Angola pursue ambitious exploration and production targets, data-driven investment promotion is becoming an increasingly important component of attracting upstream capital.

“In today’s upstream market, access to reliable data is a competitive advantage. Welligence is helping governments and investors better understand Africa’s resource potential, evaluate opportunities and deploy capital more effectively. Their participation at AEW 2026 reflects the growing role that market intelligence plays in driving investment across the continent,” stated NJ Ayuk, the Executive Chairman of the African Energy Chamber.

As Africa’s premier energy event, AEW brings together the policymakers, operators, financiers and service providers shaping Africa’s next generation of oil and gas projects. The participation of companies such as Welligence reflects the growing importance of market intelligence in supporting informed investment and commercial decision-making across the sector.