Building on this year’s edition, the forum will place a renewed focus on broadening the pool of global investors in Africa’s energy sector and catalyzing new sources of capital, as well as crafting policies and incentives that enable private sector participation. As global financing for new oil and gas projects continues to tighten, project developers are looking to engage with development finance institutions, multilateral development banks, private equity, pension funds and alternative funding mechanisms, which will play a key role in the forum’s 2025 agenda.

IAE 2025 (http://apo-opa.co/4bF1x6z) is an exclusive forum designed to facilitate investment between African energy markets and global investors. Taking place May 13-14, 2025 in Paris, the event offers delegates two days of intensive engagement with industry experts, project developers, investors and policymakers. For more information, please visit (http://apo-opa.co/4bF1x6z) . To sponsor or participate as a delegate, please contact sales@energycapitalpower.com.

The forum will showcase ongoing and upcoming projects with significant investment potential, providing detailed insights into specific partnership and investment opportunities across the continent. Between 2024 and 2025, oil and gas licensing rounds are expected in Nigeria, Zanzibar, Tanzania, Uganda, Somalia, Kenya, Angola, Mozambique and South Africa, featuring a mix of onshore, offshore, shale gas and deepwater assets. As the continent seeks to attract a wide range of explorers to sign new contracts and drive exploratory drilling, the forum will explore the strategic returns associated with investment in Africa’s proven and frontier acreage.

Advanced seismic survey and upstream geoscience and data generation activities are also priority areas for investment in Africa’s upstream markets – able to de-risk exploration, identify potential drilling targets, yield new discoveries and reduce the environmental footprint of oil and gas exploration. Geophysical companies like Norway’s TGS have partnered with national oil companies (NOCs) in Liberia, Guinea-Conakry and Tanzania to enhance the understanding of the subsurface data within Africa’s lesser explored markets, with a view to supporting 2025 licensing rounds.

Partnerships between African NOCs and international exploration companies represent another strategic opportunity for knowledge and technology transfer. The continent has seen a string of recent farm-in deals in Namibia, South Africa, Morocco and Angola, among other markets, mostly involving independent explorers buying into highly prospective assets. Senegal’s NOC Petrosen has announced it is looking for farm-in partners for the Yakaar-Teranga gas development project, while Norway’s BW Energy is seeking new partners for the Kudu gas project in Namibia. 

In line with the theme, IAE 2025 will also address how government support and policy incentives can serve to maximize returns for investors and establish more attractive operating environments. The forum will highlight the growing commitment of African governments to create favorable investment conditions, build investor confidence and facilitate successful project deployment through supportive regulatory frameworks. Recent reforms include a host of fiscal incentives in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector to attract over $10 billion in new investments in the next 12-18 months; substantial changes to Ghana’s oil and gas royalty scheme to be implemented this year; and Angola’s new legislation which focuses on updating local content policies, which aims to encourage more integration between foreign firms and domestic companies.

“Returning for its third edition, IAE 2025 is solidifying its position as the premier African energy project showcase outside of the continent. Next year’s edition distinguishes itself by not only connecting global investors with Africa’s most dynamic opportunities, but also ensuring that projects are bankable and ensure maximum returns for all stakeholders – that is our goal,” says Sandra Jeque, Event & Project Director at event organizers, Energy Capital & Power.