CAPE TOWN, South Africa, May 5, 2026/APO Group/ –Independent oil and gas company Etu Energias has signed into the upcoming African Energy Week (AEW) Conference and Exhibition – taking place October 12-16 – as a Gold Sponsor, reflecting a deliberate move to position itself as a more prominent and competitive indigenous upstream player. The company’s participation follows its recent acquisition of stakes in Block 14 and 14K in Angola’s Lower Congo Basin, a deal which reinforced a broader expansion strategy centered on asset consolidation and long-term growth.

The Block 14 and 14K acquisition represents a pivotal milestone in the company’s growth strategy, granting Etu Energias exposure to some of the country’s most commercially-driven upstream acreage. The deal included the acquisition of a 20% interest in Block 14 and a 10% stake in Block 14K and followed Etu Energias’ exercising its pre-emption rights for the interests. The transaction carries a base value of $195 million, with total consideration potentially reaching $310 million through contingent payments linked to oil price performance and production benchmarks through 2038.

The deal was backed by Chariot Limited, which entered the transaction as a financing partner, raising approximately $20 million via an equity placing and direct subscription. This was complemented by an additional $4 million raised, granting Chariot exposure to 4,000 barrels per day (bpd) of production. Shell Western Supply and Trading mobilized a structured facility of up to $170 million for the deal, provided in exchange for future offtake barrels.

As a cornerstone of the country’s offshore production portfolio since 1999, Block 14 offers significant upside potential, with peak production once measuring 300,000 bpd. While output has declined in recent years, this latest transaction could breathe new life into this ageing – yet increasingly strategic – asset.

“Etu Energias is demonstrating how indigenous companies can move beyond participation and into leadership by taking strategic positions in high value assets and committing capital to long-term growth. The company’s expansion reflects a broader maturation of Angola’s upstream sector, where local firms are increasingly capable of driving investment and development outcomes,” states NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman, African Energy Chamber.

The Block 14/14K transaction aligns closely with Etu Energias’ broader expansion strategy in Angola, centered around increasing output to 80,000 bpd by 2030. Over the last three years, the company closed up to $1 billion worth in M&A deals, reflecting its commitment to expanding its portfolio and strengthening its balance sheets.

To achieve its production targets, the company is planning eight exploration projects, 10 development projects and seven redevelopment projects in Angola. Recent activity includes the start of drilling at Block 2/05 in July 2025 and an onshore seismic campaign at identify prospects. To support these activities, the company announced plans to make an Initial Public Offering in 2026. The move aims to tap into new capital pools to support exploration and production projects.

Etu Energias’ Gold Sponsorship at AEW 2026 therefore reflects more than branding. It signals a company actively reshaping its position within Angola’s oil and gas industry – leveraging acquisitions, partnerships and strategic alignment to scale its portfolio. As competition intensifies and access to high-quality assets becomes more constrained, Etu Energias is making a calculated move to establish itself as a leading independent player in one of Africa’s most established hydrocarbon markets.

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, May 5, 2026/APO Group/ –Set to scale both production and digital capacity across its Nigerian operations, Heirs Energies – a Lagos-headquartered indigenous energy company – has deployed Starlink-powered connectivity to transform asset management at remote oilfield sites. The rollout is enabling real-time monitoring, reliant communications and advanced IoT integration, strengthening uptime, efficiency and data-driven field performance.

 

In the wake of its digital rollout, the company will participate as a Gold Sponsor at this year’s African Energy Week (AEW) 2026, set to take place from October 12–16 in Cape Town. Their sponsorship comes as the event launches its inaugural AI and Data Center Track, positioning digital infrastructure, intelligent systems and data-driven demand at the center of Africa’s evolving energy landscape.

 

Heirs Energies’ digital momentum is underpinned by a series of strategic and financial milestones. In December 2025, the company secured a $750 million dual-tranche senior-secured reverse-based lending facility from the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), accelerating development at OML 17 and reinforcing the “Africa financing Africa” model. The facility supports the company’s medium-term ambition to scale output toward 100,000 barrels per day (bpd) while strengthening liquidity, capital efficiency and long-term field optimization.

 

Operationally, the company continues to transform OML 17, a 1,300-km² onshore asset in Rivers State. Since assuming operatorship in 2021, Heirs Energies has more than doubled oil production to over 50,000 bpd and increased gas output to approximately 120-135 million standard cubic feet per day (MMscf/d). Through its Brownfield Excellence strategy – reactivating over 100 dormant wells and sustaining uptime above 85% – the company has reduced theft-related losses and improved terminal delivery reconciliation to near-total accuracy

 

Meanwhile, a joint venture between Heirs Energies and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company executed gas flaring commercialization agreements under the Nigerian Gas Flare Commercialization Program, targeting the capture of approximately 180 MMscf/d of flare gas across OML 17. With five private offtakers engaged and commissioning expected by Q3 2026, the initiative supports Nigeria’s Decade of Gas policy, strengthened domestic energy security and monetizes previously wasted resources while reducing routine flaring.

 

In parallel, Heirs Energies completed a transformative equity expansion on December 31, 2025, acquiring a 20.7% stake in Seplat Energy for approximately $496 million. The transaction, financed in part through its Afreximbank facility and credit support from the Africa Finance Corporation, positions Heirs Energies as Seplat’s largest shareholder and enhance horizontal integration across Nigeria’s upstream and midstream value chain.

 

Beyond hydrocarbons, the company continues to embed Africapitalism through the OML 17 Host Communities Development Trust, serving 73 communities in Rivers State. The Trust has awarded over 1,600 scholarships, empowered more than 300 youths with vocational skills and upgraded electrical infrastructure benefitting 270,000 people.

 

“Heirs Energies exemplifies the rise of indigenous African operators scaling responsibly and profitably,” states NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman, African Energy Chamber. “Their Gold Sponsorship at AEW 2026 reflects both commercial strength and deep commitment to Africa’s energy future.”

 

As AEW 2026 prepares to convene in Cape Town, attention is increasingly shifting toward the convergence of energy systems, digital infrastructure and AI across the continent. Within this evolving landscape, the launch of the AI and Data Center Track – NexaGrid Africa: Create. Enable. Build Africa’s Finest AI Data Centers for the Future – signals a structural pivot in how the continent approaches energy optimization, industrial scalability and data sovereignty. Heirs Energies’ expanded digital footprint, from Starlink-enabled field operations to AI-ready asset intelligence, positions the company within this next phase of transformation, where upstream performance is being defined by computational capacity, connectivity and real-time decision systems.

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, April 30, 2026/APO Group/ –APO Group (www.APO-opa.com), the pan-African communications consultancy integrating advisory, execution, and proprietary news distribution, today was named the winner of a Gold Stevie® Award in the Most Innovative Public Relations Agency of the Year category in the seventh annual Middle East & North Africa Stevie Awards, sponsored by the RAK Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The Middle East & North Africa Stevie Awards are the only business awards programme to recognise innovation in the workplace in 18 nations in the Middle East and North Africa.  The Stevie Awards are widely considered to be the world’s premier business awards, conferring recognition for achievement in programmes such as The International Business Awards® for 24 years.

More than 1,400 nominations from organisations across the Middle East and North Africa were considered this year in categories such as Award for Excellence in Innovation in Products & Services, Award for Innovative Management, and Award for Innovation in Corporate Websites, among many others.  APO Group won in the Most Innovative Public Relations Agency of the Year category.

APO Group’s winning submission presented a body of work spanning major international brands, humanitarian organisations, and global technology and business investment platforms, collectively generating over USD1.2 billion in PR value, more than 1,500 media features and interviews, and over 20 million social media impressions. Together, these results reflect a communications model built on integration: strategy, on-ground PR, and guaranteed visibility operating as one high-impact system.

These campaigns, executed for organisations such as Africa’s Business Heroes, Canon, Mercy Ships, The Basketball Africa League (BAL), GITEX Africa, and the Global Africa Business Initiative (GABI), demonstrate APO Group’s ability to operate at scale across sectors and markets, delivering innovative strategic communication with measurable results.

“This award recognises something specific: a communications model that treats consultancy, execution, and distribution as one system rather than three separate disciplines. The MENA Stevie® Awards reflect APO Group’s commitment to delivering PR and communications strategies that match the realities of operating across Africa,” said Bas Wijne, Chief Executive Officer at APO Group. “Effective pan-African work requires deep knowledge of how individual markets function, how media ecosystems differ, and how audiences in each context connect with a narrative. We’re proud to help African and MENA organisations engage with impact across one of the world’s most complex and rewarding media landscapes.”

Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Award winners were determined by the average scores of more than 150 executives around the world acting as judges on six juries.

“We are delighted to recognise the achievements of such a diverse group of organisations across the MENA region in the 2026 edition of the Middle East & North Africa Stevie Awards,” said Stevie Awards president Maggie Miller.  “We look forward to celebrating Stevie winners during our gala event on 11 September at the InterContinental Hotel, Istanbul, Türkiye.  The quality of nominations received this year was exceptional. The programme has grown every year, showing the vast amount of innovation in the MENA region.”

APO Group has received multiple major industry honours over the past year, including consecutive Gold Sabre Awards and Gold at the Davos Communications Awards for excellence in strategic communications and campaign execution. The company was also named Africa’s Leading PR Agency – 2025 by Brands Review Magazine and Best Public Relations & Media Consultancy Agency of the Year – 2025 by World Business Outlook.

Operating across 54 African countries, APO Group provides communications advisory services, public relations, and media distribution through its proprietary newswire, Africa Newsroom, which places content on more than 250 Africa-focused news platforms worldwide.

This latest accolade adds to APO Group’s growing record at these prestigious awards. In 2025, Rania El-Rafie, Vice President, Public Relations and Strategic Communications, was awarded a Bronze Stevie® Award in the ‘Most Innovative Woman of the Year’ category. El Rafie also chaired the Public Sector & Thought Leadership Awards Judging Committee at this year’s competition.

Details about the Middle East & North Africa Stevie Awards and the list of Stevie Award winners are available at https://MENA.StevieAwards.com.