The government made its pitch in Cape Town, South Africa last week, where Vice Minister of Commercial Policy Ricardo Gomez presented 303 billion barrels of proven oil reserves and 193 trillion cubic feet of natural gas at the Venezuela Global Investment Forum during African Energy Week (AEW) 2026. “The opportunities extend from upstream projects to downstream and refining,” he said, as PDVSA works toward its target of 105 definitive oil contracts by year-end.

Participation Contracts

The most direct route is the hydrocarbon productive participation contract (CPPH). Under it, a Venezuela-domiciled company operates a designated area at its own cost and risk for 25 years. With ministry approval, it can also market its share of production. Eni moved its Junín-5 heavy-oil field onto the model in September. The Italian company left its minority joint venture position to become exclusive operator of an asset holding 35 billion barrels of certified oil in place.

Joint Ventures

Companies preferring a partnership can enter a restructured joint venture with PDVSA. The state company keeps majority ownership, but can now hand operational management and marketing rights to its international partners. Mature fields are open through either structure, and their existing wells and infrastructure offer a quicker path to revenue. GeoPark took the contract route at the Bare field – a heavy-oil asset in the Orinoco Belt – under a 25-year agreement. It plans to reactivate up to 1,100 wells and lift output to around 90,000 barrels per day (bpd) by 2038.

Infrastructure Contracts

Direct ministerial contracts and strategic alliances cover oilfield services and infrastructure. Projects on offer include pipeline rehabilitation, export terminals and refinery upgrades. Domestic refineries currently process 350,000 bpd, and PDVSA aims to raise throughput to as much as 600,000 bpd in 2027.

Offshore Gas Follows Its Own Licensing Track

Offshore gas is awarded through a separate licensing process. bp, a Gold Sponsor of VEW 2027, operates the second phase of the cross-border Loran field. It holds the license in equal shares with Abu Dhabi’s XRG and Qatar’s UCC Oil and Gas Holding.

Tiered Fiscal Terms Support Investment Across the Value Chain

Each route to investment sits within a revised fiscal regime. Regulations published in July cap royalties at 30% and the integrated hydrocarbons tax at 15%, with combined rates of 20% for greenfield projects, 25% for extra-heavy oil, 30% for non-producing brownfields and 35% for producing brownfields. Qualifying offshore projects and developments incorporating upgrading or refining infrastructure may receive reductions of up to five percentage points.

“Venezuela is seeing a lot of interest as a result of aggressive fiscal and regulatory changes that are making the country more attractive,” Scott Gilbert, Non-Executive Chairman of Apertura Energy, told the AEW forum.

Companies entering through a CPPH will need a locally incorporated entity, and securing marketing authorization early gives operators greater control over revenue. U.S. companies also structure contracts around the conditions attached to Treasury general licenses, which govern how payments and contract law are handled in deals with PDVSA.

VEW 2027 will put those terms on the table in Caracas, with the Ministry of Hydrocarbons and PDVSA, both patrons of the event, meeting investors across two conference days and a day of site visits. By February, PDVSA’s year-end contracting drive is expected to have produced additional agreements, giving investors a clearer picture of how the revised contractual and fiscal frameworks are being applied in practice.

VEW 2027 takes place February 22–25 at the Simon Bolivar Convention Center in Caracas. Organized by Energy Capital & Power and taking place under the patronage of Acting President Delcy Rodríguez, PDVSA and the Ministry of Hydrocarbons, VEW is the country’s flagship oil and gas investment platform. To register or learn more about sponsorship and speaking opportunities, visit www.VenezuelaEnergyWeek.com.

“I was privileged to attend the inauguration of Dr. George Elombi in October 2025 as Afreximbank President and Chairman, succeeding Professor Benedict Oramah. Since that day, I have watched a man of few words keep the promises he made not with grand speeches, but with practical action. At this crossroads in our history, Dr. Elombi understands that leadership is not about occupying the moment. It is about shaping the future,” states NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman, AEC.

A cornerstone of Dr. Elombi’s commitment to Africa’s energy sector is the establishment of the Africa Energy Bank (AEB) alongside the African Petroleum Producers Organization. Designed to finance large-scale energy and infrastructure projects across the continent, the AEB will use a corridor approach, prioritizing projects that deliver regional economic development across four pillars: export infrastructure, domestic infrastructure, clean cooking and power. The bank is expected to become operational within weeks and begin financing projects at the start of 2027.

Dr. Elombi’s work is reflected in a series of milestones reached by Afreximbank in recent months as the bank moves to advance intra-African trade, mobilize capital and bring new countries into its mission. In April 2026, South Africa acceded to the Establishment Agreement of the bank, marking the entry of one of the continent’s biggest economies into the bank’s membership. With the move, Afreximbank launched major financial interventions in the country, including a $8 billion Country Program designed to deepen economic growth. According to Dr. Elombi, South Africa’s membership builds on a strong pipeline of Afreximbank-led projects in the country, exceeding $6 billion and spanning healthcare, energy, manufacturing, financial services and mining.

Beyond South Africa, Afreximbank continues to advance financing for strategic projects across a myriad of sectors. Notable transactions include a $3.8 billion agreement with Gabon to support manganese and gold trading as well as energy development and rail infrastructure; a $25 million facility for Lilium Gold to support operations at the Boungou and Wahgnion mines in Burkino Faso; and a $1.75 billion syndicated receivables-purchase facility for Angola’s national oil company Sonangol. In Nigeria, the bank announced a $2.5 billion underwriting commitment – part of a $4 billion syndicated facility – for Dangote Petroleum and Petrochemicals as well as a $750 million reserve-based lending facility for Heirs Energies, supporting indigenous African energy capacity.

The bank was also responsible for the first-recorded Southern African energy sector transaction through the Africa Trade Gateway – a one-stop digital trade ecosystem developed by Afreximbank and the African Continental Free Trade Area. The transaction features a $5.3 million cross-border gasoil trade involving Zimbabwe. One of the most significant developments

Afreximbank’s mandate transcends energy. The bank continues to mobilize capital for infrastructure that can connect African markets, supporting continent-wide industrialization and job creation. In healthcare, the African Medical Center of Excellence in Ajuba, a landmark 170-bed specialty healthcare center developed by Afreximbank, has set a new standard in healthcare in the country. The facility treats more than 5,000 patients from over 20 countries, with plans to expand to 500 beds in the near-term.

“This is more than a list of transactions; it is a practical expression of economic sovereignty, financing African businesses, moving African commodities, developing African infrastructure and keeping more value on the continent,” Ayuk said. “Dr. Elombi is running his race. He is not chasing applause; he is building momentum. He knows that Africa’s future will be secured by institutions that are bold enough to invest, disciplined enough to deliver, and confident enough to believe in Africa’s own capacity.”

Against this backdrop, the Libya Energy & Economic Summit (LEES) 2027, taking place January 23–25 in Tripoli, will feature a dedicated Infrastructure and Integration Forum. The forum will examine how Libya can convert its growing resource base into productive domestic infrastructure and stronger regional ties.

As Libya seeks to process more hydrocarbons domestically and capture greater value from refined products, the country’s National Oil Corporation (NOC) is pursuing refinery modernization and expanded petrochemical manufacturing. That strategy is being reinforced by upstream expansion, including a more than $20 billion, 25-year Waha development deal with TotalEnergies and ConocoPhillips targeting up to 850,000 barrels per day (bpd) of additional capacity.

Meanwhile, the National Development Agency has signed 13 agreements with Chinese companies for projects at the 1,000-hectare Magroun Industrial Zone, covering industrial chemicals, advancing manufacturing and construction materials. The Ministry of Industry’s 100-Day Plan is supporting the country’s wider development push through infrastructure and digital reforms aimed at improving industrial investment.

Gas provides another major infrastructure opportunity set to be showcased at LEES 2027. Eni’s $8 billion Structures A&E project is designed to move offshore gas to the Mellitah treatment plant, with infrastructure targeting 750 million cubic feet per day (mmscf/d) in 2027. The project follows the successful start-up of the Sabratha Compression Project in June 2026. Led by Eni in partnership with the NOC – through the Mellitah Oil & Gas joint venture – the project has an overall compression capacity of 440 mmscf/d.

On the maritime side, the $2.7 billion Misurata Port expansion is set to transform the facility into a major Mediterranean logistics hub, with planned capacity of 4 million containers annually and 8,400 direct jobs. The project also incorporates local supplier development, linking maritime expansion with efforts to build domestic supply chains.

Beyond domestic infrastructure Libya is strengthening its connections to regional neighbors. The country is advancing negotiations with Egypt for an 800-km Tobruk-Alexandria crude pipeline, estimated at $1.5 billion–$2 billion and targeting initial capacity of 150,000–250,000 bpd. The NOC is also working to maximize the 11-billion-cubic-meter annual capacity of the GreenStream pipeline, connecting coastal facilities in Libya to European markets via Sicily.

Taken together, these projects show an increasingly integrated Libyan investment agenda – connecting upstream production with downstream industry, gas infrastructure, logistics and cross-border energy markets. LEES 2027’s Infrastructure and Integration Forum will bring those investment opportunities together in one platform, highlighting the NOC and Ministry-led push to build the infrastructure required for Libya’s next phase of economic growth.

For more information about LEES 2027, please visit https://LibyaSummit.com/​.