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South Africa’s Upstream Petroleum Resources Development Act (UPRD Act): Can Legal Certainty Revive Major Investment After IOCs’ Exit?

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African Energy Chamber

South Africa’s new Upstream Petroleum Resources Development Act offers a fresh regulatory framework, but is it enough to bring supermajors back, or will independent players now dominate the landscape?

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, February 6, 2026/APO Group/ –The high‑profile exit of global energy major TotalEnergies from deepwater Blocks 11B/12B and 5/6/7 – home to the Brulpadda and Luiperd gas discoveries – was a significant setback for South Africa’s plans to use domestic resources to boost energy security and economic growth. TotalEnergies, together with partners QatarEnergy and CNR International, gave up their stakes after determining that the discoveries could not be commercially developed under the existing market conditions and regulatory framework.

 

The exits underscored long‑standing industry frustrations with South Africa’s legal and regulatory environment, widely seen as lacking the clarity and predictability that deepwater investors demand. That backdrop helps explain the government’s passage of the Upstream Petroleum Resources Development Act (UPRD Act) – a standalone legislative framework designed to replace the petroleum provisions embedded in the old Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act and provide a bespoke upstream regime.

At its core, the UPRD Act aims to accelerate exploration and production of South Africa’s petroleum resources by providing clear rules and stable rights for companies – key to attracting major investment. It combines exploration and production rights into a single petroleum right, sets out controlled licensing rounds, guarantees third-party access to infrastructure, and establishes the Petroleum Agency of South Africa as a clear regulatory authority. The law also promotes active participation by the State and previously disadvantaged South Africans, mandates local content, allows a share of output to be sold for strategic stock purposes, and separates oil and gas regulation from mining rules to reduce red tape and simplify operations.

Yet the big question remains: will this new legal certainty be enough to lure back the supermajors, or has the landscape shifted toward leaner, more aggressive independent companies seeking opportunities where majors have stepped away?

 It shows how regulatory reform is essential to restoring investor confidence

“Simply put, TotalEnergies’ exit was a blow to South Africa’s energy industry. These discoveries brought to light alternative energy solutions for a country plagued with a decade‑long energy crisis. However, without clear, predictable rules, even world‑class discoveries struggle to progress to commercial development. It shows how regulatory reform is essential to restoring investor confidence,” states NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the African Energy Chamber.

The UPRD Act now provides that framework, but timing is crucial. The regulations needed to put the Act into practice are still being finalized, and until these rules – covering licensing, environmental safeguards and rights administration – are published and tested in early rounds, investor confidence is likely to remain cautious.

For supermajors, investment decisions are increasingly guided by a global strategy that prioritizes projects with clearer returns and lower regulatory risk. With growing pressure to meet climate targets and streamline their portfolios amid the energy transition, deepwater frontier projects in emerging markets are less appealing unless they come with clear, predictable terms.

This creates an opening for independent and smaller players. Companies like Africa Energy Corp. – which increased its stake in Block 11B/12B after the majors’ exit – could view South Africa’s upstream sector as a promising opportunity. With leaner cost structures and a greater tolerance for frontier risk, these players can advance projects that supermajors may avoid, potentially driving local value creation and technology transfer through a different investment model.

Looking ahead to African Energy Week (AEW) 2026 – the continent’s premier energy summit bringing together governments, investors and service companies – the UPRD Act is expected to be a central topic in discussions surrounding South Africa. AEW offers a high‑profile platform to showcase the country’s evolving policy landscape and could set the stage for the first post‑Act licensing round. Industry leaders are likely to debate whether the framework delivers on its promise of stability and what conditions might be needed to attract supermajors back.

Ultimately, South Africa’s upstream rebound will depend on execution: if the regulations foster transparency, competitive terms and confidence in governance, the UPRD Act could be a turning point. If not, the sector may settle into a new normal where ambitious independents, rather than supermajors, drive the next chapter of oil and gas development.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Chamber.

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Angola Strengthens Global Investment Drive Across Oil, Gas and Mineral Resources

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With sweeping reforms across the extractive sector, Angola is entering a new phase defined by transparency, regulatory modernisation, value addition, and international partnership

LONDON, United Kingdom, May 8, 2026/APO Group/ –At a defining moment in Angola’s economic transformation, the Critical Minerals Africa Group (CMAG) (https://CMAGAfrica.com), together with the Government of Angola and the Ministry of Mineral Resources, Petroleum and Gas of the Republic of Angola (MIREMPET), will convene global investors, policymakers, and industry leaders in London for the Angola Oil, Gas & Mining Investment Conference on 14 May 2026.

 

More than a conference, this gathering represents a strategic international engagement at a time when Angola is actively reshaping its economic future and positioning itself as one of Africa’s most compelling destinations for long-term investment in natural resources, infrastructure, and industrial development.

With sweeping reforms across the extractive sector, Angola is entering a new phase defined by transparency, regulatory modernisation, value addition, and international partnership. The country’s leadership is sending a clear message to global markets: Angola is open for investment and ready to build transformational partnerships that support sustainable growth and economic diversification.

This is not simply about resource development, it is about building long-term industrial growth, strengthening energy and mineral supply chains, and shaping Angola’s future

The event will be headlined by H.E. Diamantino Azevedo, Minister for Mineral Resources, Oil and Gas of Angola, whose leadership since 2017 has been central to advancing Angola’s mineral and hydrocarbons agenda. Under his stewardship, Angola has accelerated institutional reform, strengthened governance frameworks, promoted private sector participation, and prioritised sustainable resource development.

As global demand intensifies for critical minerals, energy security, and resilient supply chains, Angola is uniquely positioned to become a strategic partner to international investors and industrial economies. The country’s vast untapped mineral wealth, significant oil and gas reserves, expanding infrastructure ambitions, and commitment to economic diversification present a rare investment window for global stakeholders.

Speaking ahead of the event, Veronica Bolton Smith, CEO of the Critical Minerals Africa Group said:

“Angola stands at a pivotal point in its national development. The reforms taking place across the country’s extractive sectors are creating unprecedented opportunities for responsible international investment and strategic partnership. This is not simply about resource development, it is about building long-term industrial growth, strengthening energy and mineral supply chains, and shaping Angola’s future as a globally competitive investment destination. We believe this moment represents one of the most important opportunities for international partners to engage with Angola’s leadership and participate in the country’s next chapter of economic transformation.”

The event is expected to attract a distinguished international audience, including sovereign representatives, institutional investors, mining and energy executives, infrastructure developers, development finance institutions, and strategic partners seeking direct engagement with Angola’s leadership.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Critical Minerals Africa Group (CMAG).

 

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African Union (AU) Commissioner Mataboge Joins African Energy Week (AEW) 2026 as Continent Scales Interconnected Energy Infrastructure

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Lerato Mataboge’s participation reflects the African Union’s commitment to transforming African energy systems, prioritizing African-led innovation and priorities

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, May 7, 2026/APO Group/ –Lerato D. Mataboge, Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy at the African Union (AU), has joined the upcoming African Energy Week (AEW) Conference and Exhibition – taking place October 12-16 in Cape Town – as a speaker. Her participation puts the AU’s institutional voice at the center of the event at a moment when the continental body is moving from policy architecture to execution, and growing increasingly vocal about the conditions it will and will not accept from international partners.

 

Mataboge has been among the clearest African voices pushing back on the terms of the global energy transition debate. At the World Economic Forum in Davos in January 2026, she challenged the prevailing narrative, arguing that baseload power is a non-negotiable prerequisite for African industrialization and that the continent cannot be assessed by the same benchmarks applied to economies that already have reliable electricity. Africa holds around 20% of the world’s identified uranium resources yet accounts for less than 1% of global nuclear electricity consumption, a disparity she has cited as emblematic of a broader pattern of resource wealth that has yet to translate into energy sovereignty.

Commissioner Mataboge is the institutional link between Africa’s continental energy ambitions and the investors and developers who can make them real

Speaking in Cape Town in March, Mataboge noted that Africa has approximately 245 GW of installed generation capacity, while electricity consumption averages around 600 kWh per person per year, roughly five times below the global average. Closing the gap means connecting between 90 and 100 million additional people to electricity annually, requiring roughly $200 billion in annual investment by 2030 against a current annual investment level of approximately $45 billion.

Mataboge’s mandate at the AU is to build the institutional architecture that can begin to mobilize that capital at scale. She is overseeing the operationalization of the African Single Electricity Market (AfSEM), which aims to integrate the continent’s fragmented regional power pools into a unified electricity market, alongside the Continental Power Systems Masterplan and the Ten-Year Infrastructure Investment Plan for Cross-Border Connectivity, the AU’s master pipeline for transmission and generation projects. These frameworks have been in development for years, but the challenge has been turning them into bankable propositions that attract private capital. At AEW 2026, that case will be made to the investors and developers who can act on it.

“Commissioner Mataboge is the institutional link between Africa’s continental energy ambitions and the investors and developers who can make them real,” said NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the African Energy Chamber. “Her message is clear – that Africa will not subordinate its development needs to external financing conditions that were never designed with this continent in mind. AEW is the right room to have that conversation, and the right moment.”

AEW 2026 – Africa’s premier energy event – convenes Africa’s foremost policymakers, financiers, developers and operators to advance the continent’s energy agenda. Commissioner Mataboge’s address will place the AU’s institutional framework, and the financing gap it is working to close, at center stage.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Chamber.

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InterOil’s Angola Oil & Gas (AOG) 2026 Silver Sponsorship Reflects Drive to Scale Logistics, Local Content

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Integrated logistics, local workforce development and offshore execution converge as Angola’s project pipeline expands

LUANDA, Angola, May 7, 2026/APO Group/ –Angolan oilfield services provider InterOil has joined the upcoming Angola Oil & Gas (AOG) Conference and Exhibition as a Silver Sponsor, taking place September 9-10 with a pre-conference on September 8. For over 21 years, InterOil has worked alongside international operators, playing a strategic role in maintaining stable and reliable offshore activities. It’s AOG sponsorship not only demonstrates a commitment to the growth of the industry, but positions the logistics and offshore support provider at the center of Angola’s next wave of deepwater and infrastructure-led projects.

InterOil’s sponsorship reflects a core reality in Angola’s hydrocarbon market: as projects become more complex and move into deeper waters, the ability to sustain operations through integrated logistics solutions is emerging as a defining constraint. The company’s model – combining onshore coordination with offshore execution – addresses this directly, ensuring continuity across high-intensity operations where downtime carries significant financial and technical risk.

Operating in a complex offshore environment, InterOil has built its track record around reliability and operational discipline. A key reference point is the Kaombo development in Block 32, operated by TotalEnergies. Since 2014, the company has supported the project through integrated onshore and offshore logistics, sustaining operations for both the FPSO Kaombo North and FPSO Kaombo South. The development remains one of Angola’s most technically complex offshore assets, and InterOil’s role in maintaining operational continuity underscores the importance of logistics providers in stabilizing production and ensuring efficiency at scale.

This operational focus is complemented by a long-term commitment to local content development. InterOil has prioritized the recruitment, training and advancement of Angolan professionals, embedding structured capacity-building and knowledge transfer into its operating model. In a market where local participation is both a regulatory requirement and a strategic imperative, this approach supports workforce development while reinforcing operational resilience.

As Angola seeks to sustain production above one million barrels per day by expanding infrastructure, accelerating offshore projects and deepening local participation across the value chain, the role of logistics providers is becoming more strategic. AOG 2026 provides a platform where these capabilities are integrated into broader project discussions, connecting operators, service providers and investors around execution as a core pillar of project success. InterOil’s participation underscores a broader industry shift: in Angola’s next phase of growth, operational delivery will carry as much weight as resource potential.

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

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