From significant oil deposits in Namibia’s Orange Basin to untapped potential in South Africa to gas frontiers onshore Zimbabwe and developments in Mozambique and Angola, Southern Africa has emerged as a highly-promising oil and gas market. However, to unlock the full potential of the industry, investors need to rally, providing the much-needed capital and technology to boost energy development across the region.

African Energy Week: Invest in African Energies – taking place September 29 to October 2, 2025 - will highlight Southern Africa’s energy potential, from major projects and exploration campaigns to investment opportunities and emerging challenges. By uniting regional governments, major operators and global stakeholders, the event fosters collaboration, serving as a catalyst for South African energy development.

Angola Drives Exploration Towards Near-Term Production

Sub-Saharan Africa’s second-largest oil producer, Angola continues to leverage industry reform to accelerate exploration and development. Seeking to maintain oil output above one million barrels per day while increasing natural gas production, the country is preparing to launch the final bid round of its six-year licensing strategy in Q1, 2025. Offering nine blocks for exploration in the deepwater Kwanza and Benguela basins, the round is expected to entice major deepwater players to expand their portfolios offshore Angola. To further support production growth, the country introduced five marginal fields for exploration in 2024 and continues to promote blocks available on direct negotiation. Major projects such as the Cabinda Oil Refinery (2025); the New Gas Consortium (early-2026); and the Agogo Integrated West Hub Development (mid-2026) are also set to fuel production.

Mozambique Targets LNG Advancement

With over 100 trillion cubic feet (TCF) of gas resources in the Rovuma Basin, Mozambique is pushing ahead with several large-scale LNG projects. These include the operational 3.4 million ton per annum (MTPA) Coral South FLNG project; the under-development 3.37 MTPA Coral North project; the 18 MTPA Rovuma LNG project; and the 13 MTPA Mozambique LNG project. Despite delays, operators are committed to accelerating development. While pushing the Mozambique LNG project timeline from 2027 to 2029/2030, TotalEnergies expects a U.S. loan approval to be restored under the Trump administration in the coming weeks. ExxonMobil also anticipates FID for the Rovuma project by 2026, paving the way for advanced development.

Namibia: The Next Deepwater Oil Producer

Following a string of discoveries in the offshore Orange Basin, Namibia is working towards first oil production by 2029. The Venus-1X discovery by TotalEnergies is at the forefront of this goal, with the French major seeking to finalize its phase one development plan in 2025 and make FID in 2026. However, the development of the Mopane well – situated in PEL 83 and operated by oil and gas firm Galp - could bring the timeline to first production much closer. Two discoveries were made at the Mopane 1-A well and the Mopane 2-A well, and the operator is now seeking a farm-in partner to develop the asset. Other companies such as Shell, Petrobras, Africa Oil Corp, Chevron and more are also investing offshore while independents including ReconAfrica and Sintana Energy are conducting exploration and appraisal drilling onshore.

South Africa Prioritizes Gas Exploration, Renewable Expansion

Two offshore basins have generated significant interest by foreign player in South Africa: the Southern Outeniqua Basin and the Orange Basin. Southern Outeniqua featured two major gas discoveries made by TotalEnergies (Luiperd and Brulpadda) in 2019 and 2020, representing some of Africa’s biggest finds made during the period. While TotalEnergies exited the Southern Outeniqua basin in 2024, the company has turned its attention to South Africa’s Orange Basin, hoping to mirror upstream success in neighboring Namibia. Other firms including Africa Oil Corp, Shell and Petrobras are investing in the Orange Basin, and all eyes are on future discoveries offshore South Africa.

Zimbabwe: An Onshore Gas Frontier

Zimbabwe made headlines in 2022 when Invictus Energy announced successful drilling activities at the Mukuyu-1 well at the onshore Cabora Bassa Project. This was followed by the discovery of gas at the Mukuyu-2 well in 2023, with the find revealing the potential for 20 TCF of gas resources. In 2025, the company completed an independence review of the Petroleum Production Sharing Agreement, which would enable the Invictus Energy to unlock value-sharing from the project. Going forward, the company is pursuing a 3D seismic survey alongside appraisal drilling and well testing to further delineate the resource potential while refining development plans and improving the operational efficiency. All eyes are on the project as Zimbabwe strives to bring its first natural gas development to fruition.