PARAMARIBO, Suriname, March 9, 2026/APO Group/ –Suriname’s national oil company Staatsolie is set to highlight the country’s expanding offshore opportunities at the inaugural Caribbean Energy Week (CEW) 2026, taking place March 30 to April 1 in Paramaribo. Offshore Exploration Manager Sharista Kalapnat-Kisoensingh is expected to speak on Staatsolie’s strategic offshore initiatives, alongside sessions on the company’s Enterprise Development Center (EDC), which aims to strengthen the local private sector and prepare Surinamese businesses for participation in the country’s growing oil and gas industry.

Staatsoilie has been at the center of Suriname’s offshore oil boom. The company’s declaration of the Sloanea field as commercial in November 2025 marked a major milestone, highlighting the basin’s growing hydrocarbon potential. Staatsolie’s seismic survey program with TGS and BGP Offshore, launched late last year, is generating critical geological insights across multiple offshore blocks, while new production sharing agreements for Blocks 9 and 10 are attracting further international investment. Together, these initiatives position Staatsolie not just as a producer, but as a strategic enabler – coordinating development, structuring investment opportunities, and shaping Suriname’s broader offshore growth agenda.

Further supporting the sector’s growth, Staatsolie launched an Open-Door Offering in late 2025, making roughly 60% of Suriname’s offshore acreage available under flexible exploration agreements. Alongside its 20% stake in the $10.5 billion GranMorgu development on Block 58 – which is set to generate over $1 billion in local content expenditure – Staatsolie is driving Suriname’s evolution from a modest onshore producer into a globally relevant offshore player with significant investment, production and local economic potential.

At CEW 2026, Staatsolie’s sessions will also highlight the EDC, a flagship initiative to prepare Suriname’s private sector for offshore participation. As GranMorgu and other developments advance toward production, the EDC will ensure that local companies are equipped to capture opportunities arising from exploration, construction, and supply chain activities.

Staatsolie’s upstream operations already account for roughly 9.5% of Suriname’s GDP and 32% of government revenues, figures expected to rise as offshore production ramps up. Kisoensingh’s participation is expected to outline how the company is managing Suriname’s offshore growth, supporting private sector engagement and positioning the country as an emerging hub in regional energy markets.

Join us in shaping the future of Caribbean energy. To participate in this landmark event, please contact sales@energycapitalpower.com.

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, March 6, 2026/APO Group/ –Following the historic visit by the African Energy Chamber (AEC) (https://EnergyChamber.org) to Venezuela in February 2026, Venezuela responded by sending its Deputy Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Productive Efficiency on Hydrocarbons Arturo Gil to South Africa to advance energy ties.

 

A high-level meeting was held in Cape Town, featuring Deputy Minister Gil and Carlos Feo Acevedo, the Venezuelan Ambassador to South Africa, alongside an AEC team led by Executive Chairman NJ Ayuk and a team from Energy Capital & Power, led by CEO James Chester. Discussions centered on strengthening investment flows, leveraging Venezuela’s expertise to support Africa’s energy resilience and identifying avenues for collaboration across the energy value chain.

The meeting follows a high-level visit by the AEC to Caracas in late February, which included meetings with Delcy Rodríguez, Interim President of Venezuela as well as the state-owned oil corporation Petróleos de Venezuela SA and the ministries of Hydrocarbon Geopolitics and Gas. The outcome of these meetings was a signed MoU, aimed at strengthening investment and collaboration across the oil, gas and broader energy sectors. The Cape Town discussion represents the next step in this collaboration, underscoring Venezuela’s commitment to establishing resilient ties with African nations.

Workforce Development and Technical Cooperation

A key outcome of the meeting was a commitment to strengthening workforce development across Africa’s energy sector. Under the initiative, the AEC will engage between 10 and 15 African stakeholders to participate in specialized technical training programs at Venezuela’s University of Hydrocarbons, supporting skills development and knowledge transfer between the two regions.

The Venezuelan delegation emphasized the importance of building long-term technical partnerships, noting that structured training programs would allow African professionals to gain hands-on expertise while fostering deeper institutional cooperation between Africa and Venezuela.

“We believe it would be valuable to organize a working visit to South Africa and bring a Venezuelan delegation to explore cooperation and investment opportunities,” stated Deputy Minister Gil.

Leveraging Venezuelan Oil and Gas Expertise

The meeting also examined how Africa can benefit from Venezuela’s more than 100 years of oil and gas production experience. Ayuk highlighted geological similarities between Venezuela and key African producing countries such as Namibia and Angola, suggesting that knowledge exchange on basin geology and data interpretation could accelerate exploration and production across both regions.

“We need to strengthen collaboration between Africa and Venezuela. I hope to see more African stakeholders leveraging your cooperation, particularly in the area of data sharing and trade,” stated Ayuk.

He also underscored Venezuela’s unique role as a member of the African Petroleum Producers’ Organization, emphasizing the importance of increased participation in continental initiatives such as the African Energy Bank to address both the continent and the south American nation’s investment challenges.

Unlocking Investment and Market Opportunities

Investment opportunities within Venezuela’s hydrocarbon sector was also a central focus of the meeting. The Venezuelan delegation highlighted the country’s extensive geological database, built over more than a century of exploration and production activity, which provides investors with detailed insights into untapped resources and development opportunities.

With 1,000 wells planned for development and over 20,000 wells already drilled – including many yet to be optimized – the country presents substantial and highly lucrative investment opportunities across its upstream sector.

Gas Development and Energy Access

Venezuela’s vast natural gas resources were also discussed as a potential solution to Africa’s growing energy access challenges. With approximately 600 million people in Africa lacking access to electricity and nearly one billion living without access to clean cooking solutions, Ayuk highlighted the potential role of Venezuela’s flared gas in strengthening the continent’s energy supply while also supporting economic growth for the South American nation.

“Venezuela has significant onshore gas resources that can be further developed, but unlocking this potential will require greater investment to support both national development and the needs of our people,” stated Deputy Minister Gil. “LPG is not only an energy resource but also a social solution with strong economic and societal value. There is substantial potential for expansion in both our onshore and offshore gas sectors.”

Role of African Independents in Upstream Expansion

During the meeting, the parties emphasized the growing influence of African independent oil companies, noting their success in expanding production across the continent after decades of experience working alongside international majors. Drawing parallels with markets such as Nigeria, he suggested that independent operators could also play a role in supporting Venezuela’s efforts to increase oil output through brownfield redevelopment and mature asset optimization.

“Outside the U.S., Africa – especially Nigeria – has one of the largest populations of independent oil producers, with many operators producing from as little as 1,000 barrels per day,” stated Ayuk.

As both regions seek to expand production and address energy access challenges, deeper collaboration between African and Venezuelan stakeholders could unlock new opportunities across the global energy landscape.

PARIS, France, March 6, 2026/APO Group/ –Reflecting a renewed drive for growth and upstream revitalization, Equatorial Guinea’s Minister of Mines and Hydrocarbons, Antonio Oburu Ondo, will deliver a keynote address at the Invest in African Energy Forum, scheduled for April 22–23, 2026, in Paris. Designed to connect African energy opportunities with institutional and private capital, the forum provides a strategic platform for governments to present bankable projects directly to global investors.

 

At the center of Equatorial Guinea’s investor outreach is EG Ronda 2026, an upcoming licensing round expected to offer 24 upstream blocks across offshore and onshore basins. First announced at African Energy Week, the round will run through late 2026 and features updated fiscal terms and a competitive open-door framework aimed at attracting both majors and independents. In preparation, the Ministry has advanced seismic data acquisition and reprocessing programs, strengthening the technical dataset available to bidders and materially reducing exploration risk.

 

Equatorial Guinea’s strategy extends beyond licensing. In early 2026, the government signed a reconnaissance license agreement with Eni to support renewed upstream evaluation and field revitalization efforts. At the same time, cross-border collaboration on the Yoyo-Yolanda gas fields continues to advance, with a recent unitization agreement between Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon paving the way for joint development. The move reinforces the country’s ambition to deepen regional integration, optimize shared resources and accelerate monetization through coordinated infrastructure planning.

 

Project-level momentum further supports this positioning. The Aseng Gas Project, backed by Chevron, represents an estimated $690 million investment aligned with Equatorial Guinea’s flagship Gas Mega Hub initiative – a multi-phase strategy to strengthen domestic processing capacity and position the country as a regional gas hub. National oil company GEPetrol recently increased its stake in Aseng to more than 32%, signaling deeper national participation alongside international operators and a clearer pathway to execution.

 

For capital providers focused on the Gulf of Guinea and broader African energy markets, Minister Ondo’s address in Paris will provide direct insight into fiscal reforms, licensing mechanics, partnership models and infrastructure expansion plans through 2026 and beyond. As global capital becomes more selective, IAE 2026 offers a critical space for engagement, due diligence and deal origination – helping convert announced opportunities into executed transactions.