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Andrea Lovatini, Chairman of global trade association EnerGeo Alliance, will speak at this year’s African Energy Week (AEW): Invest in African Energies conference – scheduled for September 29 to October 3 in Cape Town. EnerGeo Alliance has positioned itself as a strong partner for African exploration companies, providing comprehensive energy solutions, geoscience technologies and applications that support drilling efforts. During AEW: Invest in African Energies 2025, Lovatini is expected to offer insights into Africa’s exploration landscape, detailing the impact seismic surveys and data generation plays in de-risking exploration and unlocking commercial discoveries.

To support oil and gas exploration worldwide, EnerGeo Alliance is implementing a 2024-2029 Strategic Plan, rooted in three main pillars: progressing policies, prioritizing people and pivoting perception. The plan aims to support the global geoscience and exploration industries by fostering collaboration, enhancing access to data and facilitating successful exploration campaigns through data and technology. Under the processing policies pillar, the company works with global stakeholders to improve and implement policy that supports the oil and gas industry’s freedom to operate. EnerGeo Alliance strongly advocates for policy that promotes investment across the exploration sector.

The second pillar – prioritizing people – recognizes the need to empower local workforces and support the development of the next-generation of geoscience and energy workers. EnerGeo Alliance organizes a series of event to this effect, fostering collaboration between youth and energy stakeholders. The third pillarseek to pivot perceptions of the energy and geoscience industry, showcasing the instrumental role the industry plays in alleviating energy poverty and driving sustainable development worldwide. The company works with partners – from upstream operators to governments to policymakers – to advance this pillar.

EnerGeo Alliance’s 2024-2029 Strategy comes at a pressing time for the African energy sector. Striving to make energy poverty history, many countries across the continent have been implementing policies aimed at incentivizing investment in exploration activities, with a view to unlocking untapped oil and gas resources. Emerging markets such as Namibia, South Africa, Ivory Coast, Kenya and more have been promoting frontier block opportunities, with many of these markets already yielding strong exploratory results. Namibia is on track for first oil by 2029 with the Venus and Mopane finds, South Africa has given Shell the greenlight for a five-well drilling campaign while Ivory Coast’s Calao and Baleine discoveres are expected to shape the market. Concurrently, established markets such as Angola, Nigeria, the Republic of Congo and Libya are advancing drilling activities to unlock new finds and increase production. Angola’s frontier Namibe basin has been identified as being highly promising while Libya has seen foreign operators return to the market.

The introduction of licensing rounds across the continent are also expected to drive exploration. Angola is preparing to launch a 10-block licensing rounds offering acreage in the offshore Kwanza and Benguela basins; Libya will sign contracts for its ongoing licensing round in late-2025, which featuring 22 blocks with high potential; while the Republic of Congo is preparing to launch its own licensing round. Acreage on offer via direct negotiation expands the continent’s block opportunities, highlighting the commitment by nations to attract upstream investment and facilitate successful exploration campaigns. Stepping into this picture, the geoscience industry plays a vital part in de-risking and supporting exploration in Africa. During AEW: Invest in African Energies 2025 – an event that unites the entire oil and gas value chain – Lovatini is expected to share insight into how the industry can work together to achieve Africa’s oil, gas and broader energy goals.

“The role the global geoscience industry plays cannot be overstated, and greater collaboration between upstream operators, host governments and geoscience firms would stand to only support exploration efforts worldwide. For Africa, companies such as EnerGeo Alliance play a crucial role in supporting the industry’s right to develop,” states Tomás Gerbasio, VP of Commercial and Strategic Engagement, African Energy Chamber.

AEW: Invest in African Energies is the platform of choice for project operators, financiers, technology providers and government, and has emerged as the official place to sign deals in African energy. Visit www.aecweek.com for more information about this exciting event.