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How Liberia’s Harper Basin Is Emerging as West Africa’s Next Deepwater Frontier

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Liberia

The Harper Basin’s advancing exploration program is de-risking Liberia’s premier frontier basin, positioning TotalEnergies and BluEnergies for frontier deepwater drilling success

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, October 2, 2026/APO Group/ –Liberia’s Harper Basin is emerging as one of West Africa’s most compelling frontier exploration opportunities, attracting investment from TotalEnergies and BluEnergies as advanced subsurface studies progressively reduce geological uncertainty across three deepwater offshore blocks.

 




  

The basin remains undrilled despite sharing geological characteristics with some of Africa’s largest and latest deepwater plays. As seismic, geochemical and seabed datasets converge, the question now is whether that technical progress will translate into a commercially viable petroleum province?

Frontier Basin Moves Toward Drill-Ready Status

The Harper Basin covers Blocks LB-26, LB-30 and LB-31 under Reconnaissance License RL-003, spanning approximately 8,924 km2 offshore Liberia. TotalEnergies operates the project with a 65% interest alongside BluEnergies, which retains 35%.

The partnership formalized in January 2026 through a joint study and application agreement after BluEnergies secured an early position in the basin during 2023 and advanced independent prospect evaluation.

An independent prospective resource assessment completed in March 2025 estimated unrisked prospective resources of approximately 17.9 billion barrels of oil and 28.8 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of natural gas across seven mapped basin-floor fan systems.

Current work centers on reprocessing 6,167 km2 of legacy 3D seismic data using energy data and intelligence firm TGS. The program recently surpassed 50% completion, delivering improved subsurface imaging and enhanced amplitude versus offset analysis to identify potential hydrocarbon-bearing reservoirs.

Parallel offshore operations began on June 19, 2026, with subsurface specialists GeoPartners deploying the research vessel R/V GYRE, operated by TDI-Brooks, to survey approximately 4,045  km2 in water depths between 500 and 3,500 meters.

The campaign combines multibeam echo sounder mapping, water-column imaging, piston coring and heat-flow measurements. These datasets identify seepage pathways, characterize source-rock maturity and improve confidence in future drilling locations before integration during Q4 2026.

The Jubilee field in Ghana,the Venus field in Namibia and the recent discoveries offshore Ivory Coast have proven the significance of basin floor fan plays along the African margin

Once economically viable anomalies are finalized, TotalEnergies and BluEnergies plan to exercise their rights to convert the reconnaissance license into long-term PSCs by late 2026 or in 2027. This step legally locks in the drilling rights, positioning the partners to advance toward exploration drilling, subject to prospect maturation, regulatory approvals and investment decisions

Geological Analogues Strengthen Exploration Case

Unlike Liberia’s historically explored offshore basin, the Harper Basin occupies a structurally confined transform-margin embayment bounded by major fracture zones that concentrate sediment delivery into thick basin-floor fan complexes.

These Cretaceous-aged Cenomanian and Turonian fan systems are considered direct geological analogues to producing and discovered deepwater plays along the West Africa Transform Margin.

BluEnergies has identified seven discrete basin-floor fan complexes interpreted from seismic data. The current technical program seeks to validate reservoir quality before progressing toward production sharing contracts and exploration drilling.

Vice President of Exploration Sergio Laura says recent licensing activity across the West African margin reinforces BluEnergies’ early entry into Harper Basin, explaining in a press release, “The Jubilee field in Ghana, the Venus field in Namibia and the recent discoveries offshore Ivory Coast have proven the significance of basin floor fan plays along the African margin.”

Unlike earlier Liberian exploration focused primarily on structural traps, the Harper Basin targets stratigraphic pinch-out reservoirs sealed beneath regional marine shales, reducing reliance on fault-dependent trapping mechanisms that limited historical exploration success.

If the current technical program confirms reservoir quality, Liberia could move from being one of West Africa’s least explored offshore jurisdictions to one of its most closely watched frontier plays. With TotalEnergies providing technical expertise and BluEnergies holding an early strategic position, the next milestone is no longer identifying prospects—but determining whether they justify Liberia’s first deepwater exploration wells.

The Harper Basin’s progress comes as Liberia seeks to attract new investment through its 2026 Offshore Direct Negotiation Licensing Round, highlighting the country’s broader offshore potential and growing exploration momentum.

 

The Launch of the Liberia 2026 Offshore Direct Negotiation Licensing Round – organized by Energy Capital and Power – will take place at African Energy Week (AEW) 2026 on October 14 at The Orchid, CTICC 2. Visit, https://apo-opa.co/4rMJlS7 for more information.

 

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Energy Capital & Power.

 

 




 

Business

Africa50’s Nabil Saimi Joins MSGBC 2026 as Senegal’s Project Pipeline Draws Infrastructure Capital

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Etu Energias

Africa50 invests in projects at their earliest stage, with power and midstream gas among its priority sectors

DAKAR, Senegal, October 22, 2026/APO Group/ –Nabil Saimi, Senior Investment Director for the Project Development Fund at Africa50, will speak at MSGBC Oil, Gas & Power 2026 in December. His confirmation brings one of the continent’s leading infrastructure investors to the Dakar conference, with a focus on the earliest and most decisive phase of the project cycle: when concepts become bankable assets. Africa50’s model is built around carrying projects from development through to financing, an approach well matched to the basin’s expanding pipeline of gas, power and infrastructure projects.

 




 
 

Africa50 was set up by the African Development Bank (AfDB) alongside African governments and now has 33 shareholder states, with Senegal, Mauritania and The Gambia among them. The platform has mobilized close to $9 billion in investment across the continent, according to Senegal’s Presidency. Its Project Development business invests equity at the preparation stage to ready projects for financiers, generally targeting developments worth more than $100 million, with power, transport, midstream gas and information and communications technology as priority sectors.

Senegal has been central to Africa50’s power portfolio. At its 2017 shareholders meeting in Dakar, Africa50 partnered with national utility Senelec under a joint agreement to develop the 120 MW Malicounda combined cycle power plant and select its strategic sponsor. The €154 million plant entered commercial operation in August 2022, adding 8% to Senegal’s generation capacity, and was built with the ability to run on the country’s own gas once supply is available. In April 2026, an Africa50 delegation met President Bassirou Diomaye Faye in Dakar and reaffirmed its support for Senegal’s development priorities.

Project development is gathering momentum across the organization. In September 2026, Africa50 appointed former International Finance Corporation (IFC) regional director Cheick-Oumar Sylla as CEO of its Project Development Fund, a key appointment under its 2030 roadmap. Separately, the Alliance for Green Infrastructure in Africa Project Development Fund (AGIA-PD), managed by Africa50, secured $50 million from Italy’s Cassa Depositi e Prestiti and France’s Proparco in 2026, adding to the $118 million raised at its first close in August 2025 as the fund targets $400 million.

Africa50’s reach now extends deeper into gas and grid infrastructure across the continent. In 2026, the platform unveiled partnerships in Tanzania covering LNG and electricity transmission, while a $20 million commitment from British International Investment took its Infrastructure Acceleration Fund to roughly $330 million in total commitments. Both areas carry weight in the MSGBC basin, where LNG exports and gas-to-power plans are shaping the region’s next phase of development.

Plants such as Malicounda were built with domestic gas in mind, and the basin’s next generation of power and gas infrastructure will depend on capital committed early in development. Saimi’s participation strengthens MSGBC 2026’s focus on connecting the region’s project pipeline with the investors able to advance it.

Organized by Energy Capital & Power (ECP) and held under the High Patronage of Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, MSGBC Oil, Gas & Power 2026 takes place December 1-3 in Dakar and will convene heads of state, ministers, investors, operators and development partners from Mauritania, Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau and Guinea-Conakry. Explore opportunities and secure your participation at www.MSGBCOilGasAndPower.com.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Energy Capital & Power.

 




 

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Algeria Energy Minister Brings Regional Power Expertise to MSGBC 2026

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Etu Energias

Minister Mourad Adjal joins Algeria’s Hydrocarbon Minister Mohamed Arkab at the Dakar conference, bringing new perspectives on power and renewable energy development

DAKAR, Senegal, October 22, 2026/APO Group/ –Algeria’s Minister of Energy and Renewable Energies Mourad Adjal will participate as a speaker at MSGBC Oil, Gas & Power 2026, bringing senior government expertise on gas, power infrastructure, renewable energy and regional energy integration to the event’s investment and policy discussions. Minister Adjal joins Algeria’s Hydrocarbons Minister Mohamed Arkab at the event, taking place December 1–3 in Dakar.

 




 
 

His participation comes as Algeria advances major renewable energy and hydrogen programs while strengthening its position as a regional energy partner. The country is implementing a 15,000 MW renewable energy program through 2035, with a first phase comprising 3,200 MW of solar capacity currently underway. The program offers relevant experience for MSGBC countries seeking to expand generation capacity while integrating larger shares of renewable power into their energy systems.

Hydrogen is also becoming a major component of Algeria’s energy strategy. The country is participating in the SoutH2 Corridor, which aims to establish infrastructure linking North African hydrogen production with European markets, while the Algeria-Europe Alliance for Hydrogen is progressing toward the publication of its feasibility study results in 2027.

These developments have direct relevance to the MSGBC region, where Mauritania and Senegal are positioning themselves for large-scale green hydrogen development alongside expanding oil and gas production. The combination of new generation capacity, transmission infrastructure and export-oriented energy projects is creating growing demand for integrated regional energy systems.

Minister Adjal also brings extensive experience from Algeria’s electricity and gas sector at a time when MSGBC countries are developing gas-to-power infrastructure and cross-border energy connections. Senegal is advancing domestic gas utilisation and new power capacity, while Mauritania is combining LNG development with emerging hydrogen projects and wider plans for energy-intensive industrial development.

Before becoming minister in September 2025, Adjal served as Chairman and CEO of Sonelgaz, Algeria’s state-owned electricity and gas utility, from December 2021. He previously led the Electricity and Gas Distribution Company and held senior regional roles including President of the Mediterranean Transmission System Operators Association and Chairman of the Maghreb Electricity Committee.

His participation adds senior North African perspective to an MSGBC market increasingly focused on converting resource discoveries into producing assets, reliable power and integrated infrastructure. As Senegal, Mauritania and neighbouring markets develop gas, electricity and renewable projects, Adjal’s experience across utility-scale energy systems will contribute to discussions on building the infrastructure required for the region’s next phase of growth.

MSGBC Oil, Gas & Power will convene international operators, service companies and investors in Dakar to explore opportunities across the region’s energy sector. To secure a delegate pass or learn more, visit www.MSGBCOilGasandPower.com or email sales@energycapitalpower.com.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Energy Capital & Power.

 




 

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Dangote Refinery Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Joins South Sudan Oil & Power (SSOP) 2026 as $1.8B Kenya Expansion Opens Regional Distribution Opportunities

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Etu Energias

David Bird’s participation comes as Dangote advances its East African refining and distribution strategy, anchored by a 700,000-bpd Lamu Refinery and 25% stake in KPC

JUBA, South Sudan, October 22, 2026/APO Group/ –Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals is expanding its footprint across East Africa, with a $16 billion refinery planned in Kenya and a $335 million investment in Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC). As these developments open new opportunities for regional petroleum trade, the company’s CEO and Managing Director David Bird has joined the South Sudan Oil & Power (SSOP) 2026 conference as a speaker.

 




 
 

Taking place in Juba on November 24-25, SSOP returns for its seventh edition as the nation’s premier platform for investment, dealmaking and policy. Bird’s participation comes as South Sudan looks to translate its resource potential into renewed exploration, higher production and greater participation in regional petroleum value chains. With major downstream investment reshaping East Africa’s energy market, SSOP 2026 offers an opportunity for producers, refiners and investors to establish the partnerships needed to advance regional energy trade and unlock new commercial opportunities.

The event arrives at a strategic time for Dangote. On September 30, the company officially broke ground on a 700,000-barrel-per-day (bpd) refinery in Lamu, Kenya. Set to come online in 2029, the facility is designed to supply gasoline, diesel and jet fuel to East African markets, with regional governments offered a combined 30% stake in the project. The project aims to replicate Dangote’s 650,000-bpd Nigerian facility, which is currently operating at full capacity and is set to expand to 1.2 million bpd. A delegation from South Sudan attended the Lamu groundbreaking ceremony, underscoring the country’s commitment to strengthening regional petroleum ties.

https://apo-opa.co/4zQaHcU

Beyond the Lamu facility, Dangote is strengthening its footprint across East Africa’s distribution networks. Just this month, the company acquired a 25% stake in KPC, securing access to established infrastructure transporting petroleum products from Kenya’s coast to regional markets, including Uganda, Rwanda, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Following the $335 million transaction, Dangote plans to invest an additional $1.5 billion to expand KPC’s approximately 1,300-km pipeline network, bringing its total planned investment to $1.8 billion.

https://apo-opa.co/4zS8fCN

For South Sudan, East Africa’s only established commercial crude oil producer, Dangote’s expansion introduces new opportunities for regional petroleum integration. The country holds approximately 3.5 billion barrels of proven oil reserves and is seeking to increase production through new exploration, redevelopment of mature fields and investment in supporting infrastructure. While no crude supply agreement between South Sudan and Dangote has been announced, the development of additional regional refining capacity could create opportunities for future feedstock supply arrangements, subject to commercial viability, infrastructure and crude compatibility.

Bird brings extensive experience across refining, petrochemicals and integrated energy infrastructure to SSOP 2026. Before joining Dangote in 2025, he served as CEO of OQ8, the $9.5 billion Duqm refinery joint venture in Oman, overseeing the development and commissioning of major refining, pipeline and terminal infrastructure. He also held senior leadership positions at Shell, spanning upstream production, downstream operations and global energy supply chains. His participation at SSOP 2026 will bring expertise in large-scale refining investment, project delivery and regional petroleum market development to discussions on South Sudan’s next phase of growth.

https://apo-opa.co/3WotMnT

As the country’s official energy event, held in partnership with the Ministry of Petroleum, SSOP 2026 provides a platform for advancing discussions around regional trade, refining and infrastructure investment. The conference brings together international and national oil companies, refiners, trading companies, infrastructure developers, financiers and technology providers to negotiate partnerships, mobilize investment and connect South Sudan’s petroleum resources with regional and international markets.

Register for SSOP 2026: https://apo-opa.co/3WGMyXJ

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Energy Capital & Power.

 




 

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