By Our Special Correspondent
African Energy Week (AEW) 2026 has hosted the 8th Meeting of the African Petroleum Producers’ Organization NOC CEOs’ Forum, bringing together the heads of Africa’s national oil companies for closed-door discussions on financing, gas commercialization, and regional cooperation.
Hosted by APPO, the forum created space for NOC leaders to exchange perspectives on the priorities shaping Africa’s energy sector.
The conversations driving Africa’s energy future start here, the organisers have say as better prospects are expected to emerge therefrom as the Week progresses.
Meanwhile, on shaping the future for African energy, AEW remains the premier international platform for driving policy dialogue, dealmaking, and investment on the continent.
Valuechain reports that over five days of high-level engagement, AEW brings together policymakers, investors, national and international companies, and development institutions from across Africa and the world.
This event drives critical conversations on energy investments, market access, and industrial growth, playing a vital role in shaping a unified vision for Africa’s energy future.
As the glamorous opening keeps the spirits of participants high, Equatorial Guinea has fewer than seven exploration blocks still available, down from more than 20 a year ago, Antonio Oburu Ondo, Minister of Mines, Hydrocarbons and Energy, has said.
Speaking on a panel moderated by Acha Leke, Chairman of McKinsey and Company Africa, the minister said the acreage has gone to U.S. and European companies, along with a smaller number of Asian firms.
“When I was here last year, we had more than 20 blocks available. Today, we have only a handful of them, I believe less than seven,” Oburu Ondo announced.
The uptake follows the ministry’s decision in May to award acreage through direct negotiation, rather than licensing rounds.
The minister used the session to court Japanese and U.S. investment in the country’s Gas Mega Hub.
The hub brings gas from multiple fields, including the cross-border Yoyo-Yolanda resource shared with Cameroon, to the EG LNG plant at Punta Europa.
“I can see the opportunity here of increasing the processing capacity, not only of EG LNG, but also building different plants,” he said.
Also speaking during a Deal Room session hosted by Premier Invest, Pape Momar Lo, CEO of RGS, outlined the green, blue and orange pipeline segments. The projects are scheduled to begin construction in 2027, with commissioning targeted for 2029.
Senegal’s gas infrastructure developer Réseau Gazier du Sénégal (RGS) is seeking investment partners for three gas pipeline projects requiring a combined €530 million, aimed at connecting offshore gas supplies to power plants and industrial customers as the country expands its domestic gas network.
“Our core objective is to align with national strategies including gas-to-power, gas-to-industry and Senegal’s 2050 vision,” Lo said. He added that RGS has a mandate to design, engineer and develop Senegal’s gas pipeline network, with the northern segment of the Gandon pipeline currently 25.8% complete.
The €220 million green segment would extend 110 km, with capacity of 300 million standard cubic feet per day (MMscf/d), transporting excess gas from the Greater Tortue Ahmeyim project towards the blue and orange networks.
The €180 million blue segment would cover 100 km, with capacity of 713 MMscf/d, supplying six power plants and six industrial facilities.
The orange segment requires €130 million to develop a 45-km pipeline with capacity of 300 MMscf/d. It would supply six industries and one power plant, completing another link in the planned network connecting offshore gas resources with domestic energy consumers.
The three projects allocate a combined €25 million to compensation for project-affected people, with procurement and construction accounting for significant portions of their respective budgets.
The proposed infrastructure, Valuechain reports, is intended to support the use of Senegalese gas in electricity generation and industrial activity.