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ConocoPhillips, Woodside Energy and Chevron to Highlight Africa’s Expanding Upstream Opportunity at AEW 2026
ConocoPhillips, Woodside Energy and Chevron will bring senior upstream executives to African Energy Week (AEW) 2026 as international operators pursue new exploration opportunities, advance major offshore developments and unlock Africa’s next generation of energy projects. Frederic Phipps, President of ConocoPhillips Equatorial Guinea; Terry Gebhardt, Vice President of Exploration at Woodside Energy; and Kevin McLachlan, Vice President of Exploration at Chevron, will join Africa’s leading energy investment platform to share insights on the projects and strategies shaping the continent’s upstream future.
Their participation reflects renewed momentum across Africa's upstream sector, as international operators expand exploration, unlock new gas opportunities and invest in both frontier and established basins. AEW 2026 will provide a platform to examine the projects and partnerships driving the continent's next wave of upstream investment.
ConocoPhillips arrives at AEW 2026 following a series of developments that are strengthening its position in Equatorial Guinea. In June 2026, the company secured operatorship of two previously unlicensed offshore exploration blocks, expanding its presence beyond its existing assets in the country. The company is also strengthening its LNG position in Equatorial Guinea, where it holds a major stake in the Equatorial Guinea LNG facility, supporting efforts to monetize Gulf of Guinea gas resources and expand regional gas infrastructure.
Meanwhile, Woodside Energy is continuing to build momentum across Africa’s offshore sector. In May 2026, the company signed a memorandum of understanding with Angola’s ANPG to evaluate opportunities in offshore Blocks 25, 26 and 43 in the Benguela and Namibe basins, opening a new chapter in its Angolan exploration strategy. The company’s regional portfolio also includes Senegal’s Sangomar field, where strong production performance has supported studies for potential future expansion.
Chevron joins AEW 2026 as it advances exploration and resource evaluation activities across several of Africa’s most prospective hydrocarbon basins. In Libya, the company recently signed an agreement with the National Oil Corporation to evaluate unconventional hydrocarbon potential across the Sirte, Murzuq and Ghadames basins, while in Namibia it is advancing exploration in the Orange Basin, where the company is preparing additional drilling activity following the evaluation of its offshore acreage. Beyond these frontier opportunities, Chevron continues to progress exploration and development activities in established markets including Angola and Nigeria, highlighting its strategy of balancing new resource opportunities with long-term upstream growth across Africa.
“Africa’s upstream sector is entering an important period of opportunity, with exploration activity accelerating, new frontiers opening and operators advancing projects that can strengthen the continent’s energy security and economic growth,” says NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the African Energy Chamber. “AEW 2026 will bring together the companies, investors and policymakers shaping this next phase of development, creating a platform to identify opportunities, build partnerships and mobilize the capital needed to unlock Africa’s energy potential.”
Set for October 12–16 in Cape Town, AEW 2026 will convene governments, investors, operators, service companies and policymakers as Africa’s upstream sector enters its next phase of development. From frontier exploration in Equatorial Guinea and Angola to deepwater growth in Senegal, unconventional resource assessments in Libya and emerging gas opportunities across West Africa, the projects and strategies being advanced by the continent’s leading explorers highlight the diversity of investment opportunities shaping Africa’s energy future.