Technical sessions at African Energy Week 2026 will examine deepwater exploration, gas and LNG development, project economics, digitalisation and infrastructure as major African energy projects move towards development and production.
African Energy Week (AEW) 2026 will spotlight the technologies supporting new African oil, gas and LNG projects during its Day 2 technical programme in Cape Town in October.
Sessions will cover subsurface interpretation, deepwater and frontier exploration, gas development, project economics, digitalisation, offshore operations and infrastructure.
The programme will run across two technical stages. The Drill Room will focus on practical applications in exploration, gas development, offshore operations and LNG, while the Innovation Hub will examine frontier exploration, energy markets, digital technologies and infrastructure.
Exploration and deepwater development
Subsurface data and its application to new exploration opportunities will form an early focus.
GeoEnergy Petroleum Director Maged Fahim will examine how legacy and newly acquired subsurface datasets can be combined with modern technologies to identify additional upstream opportunities.
TGS Principal Exploration Advisor Felicia Winter will focus on Angola's deepwater basins, including using modern seismic acquisition and imaging to reinterpret existing data and assess frontier plays.
The session comes amid renewed offshore activity in Angola. According to the African Energy Chamber (AEC), TotalEnergies announced in September that it plans to invest $10 billion in Angola over the next five years, including in exploration, while progressing the $6 billion Kaminho deepwater development.
Gas and LNG development
Significant gas developments in Namibia, Mozambique and the Republic of Congo will also feature.
TotalEnergies' Alexandre Depiesse will discuss appraisal strategies and commercial viability for discoveries in the Orange Basin, while Mozambique LNG Operations and Project Director Nicolas Cambefort will examine development and optimisation of gas resources in the Rovuma Basin.
The 13.1 million tonne per year Mozambique LNG project in Area 1 resumed activities in January 2026 following the lifting of force majeure.
The Republic of Congo National Showcase will examine the country's growing LNG sector. According to the AEC, the Congo LNG project entered a new phase in February with the start of commercial production from its second phase. The addition of the Nguya floating LNG unit increased total liquefaction capacity to 3 million tonnes per year.
From project data to operational decisions
Project economics and decision-making comprise another strand of the technical programme.
AEC Senior Vice President Verner Ayukegba and S&P Global Energy Executive Director Max Pietzsch will launch The State of African Energy 2027, covering upstream oil and gas, LNG, downstream markets, power, renewables and critical minerals.
S&P Global Energy Technical Research Analyst Tasnika Goorhoo will examine the role of benchmarking in upstream project decisions, including how comparative project data can be used to assess performance, costs and development outcomes.
Digital technologies will also feature in the offshore programme. NOV Vice President Mats Anderson will discuss high-speed downhole connectivity and real-time distributed measurements, including their potential to improve access to downhole information and operational decision-making.
Infrastructure sessions will cover asset integrity and pipelines, with Kenyon International West Africa CEO Victor Ekpenyong presenting the company's CACTUS and FlexSteel technologies. Honeywell Technologies Africa will present its end-to-end LNG offering.
SLB, InSwitch, the Petroleum Directorate of Sierra Leone and PETROSEN are also scheduled to participate in sessions covering technology, digitalisation and energy services.
“AEW 2026 reflects the practical challenges facing Africa’s energy industry as projects move from resource potential toward development and production,” said NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the AEC. “From subsurface interpretation and deepwater exploration to LNG development, project benchmarking, digitalization and infrastructure, these technical sessions highlight the expertise and technologies needed to develop Africa’s resources efficiently and create lasting value across the energy value chain.”
African Energy Week 2026 will take place in Cape Town from 12 to 16 October.
Source: African Energy Chamber
