For decades, Africa’s place in the global oil economy was not merely subordinate; it was designed to be so.
Africa’s richest person, Aliko Dangote, is targeting a $50 billion valuation for his flagship refinery business ahead of a planned stock market listing in Nigeria later this year, people familiar with the matter have told Bloomberg.
Africa’s next energy growth cycle will be driven less by new discoveries and more by the ability to build infrastructure, expand LNG capacity and monetize existing reserves, according to analysts participating in the State of African Energy 2026 Outlook webinar hosted by the African Energy Chamber (AEC) and S&P Global.
The African Petroleum Producers Organization is advancing plans to develop regional energy hubs aimed at improving infrastructure connectivity and scaling oil and gas investment across Africa.
My recent conversation on a social media platform with a close friend in Lagos came to an abrupt, silent end. Hours later, he messaged me back with an apology: The phone battery had died, and his neighborhood had been waiting for restoration of electricity service for the better part of the day.
An International Relations Analyst, Ishmael Hlovor, has underscored the importance of continental unity in addressing the challenges African countries face in procuring crude oil from Western nations and the Middle East.
The Africa Energy Bank (AEB) is positioning itself as a new source of risk capital for Africa’s oil and gas sector at a time when global upstream financing is becoming increasingly constrained.
As G20 leaders gather in Johannesburg, the African Energy Chamber (AEC) is urging global policymakers to place Africa’s oil and gas sector at the center of the continent’s economic strategy. With demand rising, energy poverty persisting, and industrial growth constrained by limited power access, African officials argue that hydrocarbons remain essential to unlocking long-term development.
In an opinion piece for The Guardian Fiona Harvey and Matthew Taylor wrote that it was time for gas exploration in Africa to stop.
Image: Africa Oil Corp.
“Africa must embrace renewable energy and forgo exploration of its potentially lucrative gas deposits to stave off climate disaster and bring access to clean energy to the hundreds of millions who lack it, leading experts on the continent have said,” they wrote.
Africa’s oil and gas downstream market, currently valued at USD 80.5 billion, is projected to reach USD 120.8 billion by 2032, positioning the continent as the world’s next frontier for downstream growth. Demand across Africa is expected to rise by 2.2 million barrels per day (MMB/D) between 2019 and 2035, representing a 2.3 percent annual growth rate.