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Clotaire Kondja, Gabon’s Minister of Petroleum and Gas, has been confirmed as a speaker at African Energy Week (AEW) 2026, bringing one of Central Africa’s foremost architects of upstream reform to the continent’s premier energy investment event. Since taking office in January 2026, Minister Kondja has accelerated efforts to attract international capital, unlock Gabon’s largely untapped offshore potential and commercialize its substantial natural gas resources.

Taking place in Cape Town from October 12‒16, AEW 2026 serves as the continent’s leading platform for energy investment, convening government leaders, operators, financiers and technology providers to drive deals across Africa’s oil, gas and energy sectors. With more than 2 billion barrels of proven oil reserves and significant untapped offshore acreage, Gabon continues to offer prolific investment opportunities that will be showcased to global investors in Cape Town.

Around 72% of the country’s deepwater acreage remains unexplored, and the government is actively opening new opportunities for investors. Speaking at the Invest in African Energy Forum in Paris in April, Minister Kondja confirmed that Gabon expected to finalize PSCs with ExxonMobil and bp, converting MoUs signed in October 2025 into active deepwater exploration licenses. The government’s modernized Hydrocarbons Code and enhanced fiscal framework are further strengthening the investment case, creating competitive conditions for companies pursuing frontier exploration, mature field redevelopment and long-term production growth.

Upstream investors are targeting frontier offshore blocks and redevelopment of mature assets, while midstream opportunities include new pipelines, storage infrastructure and refinery upgrades. At the same time, the government’s gas modernization agenda is opening investment across LNG exports, gas-to-power projects and downstream industrial gas applications as Gabon positions itself as a regional petroleum and gas hub. The government has also eliminated signature bonuses for deepwater and ultra-deepwater blocks while launching a 2026 licensing campaign covering roughly 70% of the country’s available offshore acreage.

Alongside upstream exploration, Minister Kondja is advancing an ambitious gas monetization strategy centered on Gabon’s 28 trillion cubic feet of proven onshore gas reserves. A new investor-friendly Gas Code is under development, complemented by plans for a 130‒150-km pipeline linking Gamba to Libreville by early 2028. The strategy is supported by Perenco’s $2 billion Cap Lopez LNG project, expected to begin operations in 2026 through an FLNG facility capable of producing 700,000 tons of LNG and 25,000 tons of LPG annually while significantly reducing gas flaring.

Investment activity is gathering pace across the sector. BW Energy, Panoro Energy and Gabon Oil Company approved the $300 million Bourdon offshore development in May 2026, targeting first oil in the first quarter of 2028 from approximately 25 million barrels of recoverable reserves. BW Energy and Panoro Energy are also progressing the MaBoMo Phase 2 development, expected to deliver first oil during the first half of 2027, while Assala Energy’s Magoga-A discovery confirmed 8m of net oil play in the Gamba Sandstone formation. Meanwhile, investment continues to accelerate across the midstream segment through planned gas gathering infrastructure, expanded storage capacity and refinery modernization, supporting the government’s ambition of building an integrated petroleum industry while capturing greater value from domestic gas production.

“Minister Clotaire Kondja is leading a new era of investment across Gabon’s oil and gas sector through competitive reforms, frontier exploration and strategic gas development. As Gabon opens new offshore opportunities and advances major infrastructure projects, his insights at AEW 2026 will be invaluable for investors looking to participate in one of Africa’s most dynamic energy markets,” says NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman, African Energy Chamber.

Beyond showcasing Gabon’s investment agenda, Minister Kondja’s participation will contribute to broader discussions on how African producers can remain globally competitive amid shifting capital flows, evolving energy demand and growing pressure to deliver long-term energy security. His perspective will add to high-level dialogue between policymakers, operators and financiers focused on accelerating investment and strengthening Africa’s role in the global energy landscape.