The African Energy Chamber (AEC) (https://EnergyChamber.org) – serving as the voice of the African energy sector – will host the Invest in African Energies investor forum in Shanghai on March 13, 2025. The forum will focus on building stronger China-Africa relations, while opening new avenues for Chinese producers, investors and equipment suppliers to expand their footprint across the continent. 

Taking place at the Westin Bund Center in Shanghai, the investor forum builds on a series of impactful investor forums hosted globally. The forum will highlight emerging investment opportunities in Africa, while highlighting the role Chinese firms can play in driving projects forward. As part of the visit, the AEC will also be meeting with government officials, state companies, private companies and entrepreneurs encouraging greater collaboration between Africa and China across the oil and gas, mining and renewable sector.  

China has become Africa’s largest bilateral trading partner in the last 20 years, with trade volumes amounting to $282 billion (2023). Primary commodities such as fuel, mineral products and metals represent three-fifths of Africa’s exports to China, while Chinese firms continue to expand their presence across the continent. Chinese exploration and production companies are already showing strong signs of increasing investment in Africa. Wing Wah, for example, is pioneering an integrated natural gas project in the Republic of Congo, designed to boost gas monetization and reduce previously-flared resources. Over three phases, the $2 billion Bango Kayo conventional block will produce 30 billion cubic meters of associated gas over a 25-year period.  

The state-owned China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) also has a strong presence across the continent. In Angola, the company is exploring investment opportunities, visiting the country in 2024 to discuss the deepwater Block 24. In East Africa, CNOOC is developing the East African Crude Oil Pipeline alongside TotalEnergies and the respective national oil companies of Uganda and Tanzania. At a cost of $5 billion, the 1,443-km pipeline will connect Uganda’s Kingfisher and Tilenga oilfields to Tanzania’s Port of Tanga. The pipeline will come online in 2026. CNOOC has also partnered with the Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation to explore deep-sea Block 4/1B and 4/1C and is considering investing in South Sudan’s Blocks 3 and 7. In West Africa, CNOOC is conducting wildcat drilling at Blocks BC-9 and BCD-10.  

The China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) is also investing heavily in upstream oil and gas projects. These include the Coral South FLNG development in Mozambique’s Area 4, which exported its first LNG cargo in 2022. CNPC also signed a $400 million crude oil supply agreement in 2024 with the government of Niger, with the company selling crude from its Agadem field. The CNPC is developing a 1,980km pipeline connecting the Agadem Rift Basin in Niger to Benin’s Atlantic Oil Terminal. These are just some of the many projects underway by the CNPC in Africa. Chinese independent United Energy Group (UEG) is on track to double its Egyptian output following the acquisition of Apex International Energy’s Western Desert portfolio. The project will increase UEG’s production by 22,100 barrels per day. UEG currently holds 5 concessions in Egypt’s Western and Eastern Deserts.  

In addition to exploration and production firms, Chinese equipment suppliers and service providers are supporting the development of oil and gas projects in Africa. Construction firm China National Chemical Engineering, for example, is supporting the development of Angola’s Lobito Refinery – poised to be the largest in the country with 200,000 barrels per day capacity. The company has also expressed interest in supporting the development of Nigeria’s $20 billion Ogidigben gas project in Delta. Through the Belt and Road Initiative, China is encouraging further participation by Chinese equipment suppliers and infrastructure developers in Africa. The initiative seeks to create trade corridors across the continent, offering new opportunities for cross-border collaboration.  

“China has proven that it is a strong partner for Africa. From upstream oil and gas projects to downstream infrastructure developments to renewable energy, power facilities and transportation corridors, Chinese firms are eager to support African development. The forum will build on this interest to connect Chinese firms to African projects,” states NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the AEC.  

“Africa is wide open for energy business with Chinese companies, especially with the G20 coming to Africa this year and African Energy Week will play a lead role as the home of G20 Africa energy investments. We continue to encourage innovation and investment in our energy sector and encourage African states to move faster on creating a business climate where businesses of any type and size can grow and thrive, in our continent,” concluded Ayuk. 

The forum serves as a prelude to the African Energy Week (AEW): Invest in African Energies conference, returning for its next edition from September 29 to October 3 in Cape Town. As the largest energy event on the continent, AEW 2025 seeks to drive a new wave of investment into African energy projects. As one of the continent’s biggest trade and finance partners, China’s role in driving projects forward will be discussed during the conference.