African energy demand is projected to grow more than 30% by 2040, with oil demand expected to increase to 4.9 million barrels per day (bpd) by 2050. Gas demand will almost triple during the same period while the continent’s renewable energy capacity could reach as much as 750 GW by 2030. The continents over 125 billion barrels of proven oil reserves and 620 trillion cubic feet of gas will not only play a role in meeting this demand but will support broader industrialization and economic growth.

As new opportunities emerge for foreign investors, the African Energy Week (AEW): Invest in African Energy conference returns for its fourth edition from November 4-8 in Cape Town as the premier event to sign deals across the African energy market. This year, the conference offers an expanded agenda, with seven high-level stages hosted concurrently throughout the week offering delegates unparalleled access to the African energy market. As the official meeting platform for the industry, AEW: Invest in African Energy 2024 is the only event of its kind in Africa.

AEW: Invest in African Energy is the platform of choice for project operators, financiers, technology providers and government, and has emerged as the official place to sign deals in African energy. Visit www.AECWeek.com for more information about this exciting event.

Africa’s upstream market is buzzing with activity, driven by new discoveries that are prompting increased investment from both international and national oil companies.

The African Energy Chamber’s (AEC) 2024 outlook – The State of African Energy – shows healthy levels of exploration drilling throughout the period 2024-2025, with Algeria, Egypt, Namibia and Nigeria driving the majority of activity. Over 11 high impact wells will be drilled during this period, with up to 177 blocks up for grabs. Amid this bullish outlook, AEW: Invest in African Energy’s Upstream E&P Forum will delve into emerging opportunities across the market. The forum will unpack Africa’s new oil and gas hotspots; maximizing Africa’s mature fields; crude oil trends; exploration and capital frontiers; and more.   

To achieve universal access to modern energy, Africa requires more than $25 billion in annual spending until 2030, presenting a strategic opportunity for capital-providers. The African Energy Finance Summit – hosted in collaboration with the African Export-Import Bank and S&P Global Commodity Insights – unites lenders, developers and operators to discuss the bankability of African energy projects. The summit tackles topics such as financing new energy solutions in Africa; innovative financing models; mergers and acquisitions; foreign exchange controls; and more.

In addition to spending across the upstream market, Africa’s downstream industry is experiencing rapid growth as focus shifts towards domestic refining and intra-African distribution. Nigeria brought Africa’s largest oil refinery online in 2023 – 650,000 bpd Dangote refinery – while Angola has three new refineries in development. The Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline expects to reach FID by the end of 2024 while the development of domestic LPG capacity is poised to advance access to clean cooking solutions in Africa. As such, the AEW: Invest in African Energy conference will host a Clean Fuels Forum, with speakers unpacking the continent’s downstream market. Topics include refining and petrochemicals; innovative technology in downstream operations; storage capacity and integration; and many more.

As present, over 600 million people are without access to electricity in Africa, and as the population grows –expected to reach 2.5 billion by 2050 – so will the demand for accessible power solutions. Efforts to monetize gas through power generation aim to enhance grid capacity while the adoption of off-grid solutions will accelerate electrification continent-wide. The AEW: Invest in African Energy Power Africa Summit will tackle the key challenges and opportunities across Africa’s power market. The summit will address green technology; gas-to-power; energy planning and integration; power infrastructure and trade; the power trilemma, and more.

While Africa faces an energy crisis, the continent also faces some of the worst impacts of the climate crisis. As such, many countries are opting for a just energy transition, whereby context-specific strategies are adopted to mitigate impacts and drive sustainable development. A Just Energy Transition Summit at the conference this November will explore Africa’s energy-climate nexus, with topics including king coal to clean coal; unlocking Africa’s future energy potential; the fundamental role of logistics; low-carbon technology and more.

“Africa is not only the final frontier when it comes to oil and gas but has emerged as the market of choice for global investors, owing largely to its unparalleled opportunities, rising role as a global exporter and increasingly attractive fiscal terms. As an industry, we will continue to call for more investment, more deals and accelerated project developments. Africa is not the only continent that needs its resources, markets across the world will need African energy in both the mid- and long-term,” stated NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the AEC.

Join the conference today and take part in the comprehensive program! Visit www.AECWeek.com for more information.