News

As global majors continue to refine their portfolios and shift focus toward select projects, Africa’s independent and emerging oil and gas operators are stepping into the spotlight. Their agility, local expertise and investment appetite are positioning them as the new drivers of upstream growth across the continent. At African Energy Week (AEW) 2025: Invest in African Energies, a diverse slate of leaders representing Oregen Energy Corp, AA Holdings, Shoreline Energy, Heritage Energy Operational Services Limited (HEOSL), ND Western and APUS Energy will share their vision, outline upcoming drilling campaigns and showcase the central role independents are playing in sustaining Africa’s oil and gas momentum.

Oregen Energy Corp, led by CEO and Director Mason Granger, is emerging as a junior leader in Namibia’s Orange Basin. Formerly Supernova Metals, the company rebranded and announced a $7 million equity raise in May 2025 to significantly increase its stake in Block 2712A – raising ownership to nearly 34%, gaining operatorship and planning a 3D seismic survey this year.

Austin Avuru, who co-founded Seplat and now chairs AA Holdings, has positioned his firm to capitalize on divestments from majors and will speak from the perspective of an investor rather than an operator. Through AA Holdings’ stake of over 8% in Seplat Energy – which recently acquired ExxonMobil’s onshore and shallow-water portfolio in Nigeria – Avuru brings unique insight into how innovative financing arrangements and strong partnerships are reshaping the country’s upstream sector.

Shoreline Energy, led by Kola Karim, is strengthening its position in Nigeria’s upstream and gas markets. The company recently completed the acquisition of a 45% interest in OML 30, one of the country’s largest onshore oil assets, and has also entered into a gas supply deal with Shell – moves that highlight Shoreline’s strategy of leveraging upstream growth to support Nigeria’s energy transition. Meanwhile, HEOSL will bring a multi-faceted leadership team to AEW, with General Manager of Supply Chain & Business Services Uzo Nwagwu, Technical Director Esta Eleluwor and AGM, Exploration & Development George Bassey highlighting the company’s renewed exploration drive. As operator of OML 30, the company plans to raise production from 45,000 to 100,000 bpd by 2030.

ND Western, which finalized its $2.4 billion acquisition of Shell’s Nigerian upstream arm in March 2025, is prioritizing efficiency and enhanced recovery across its portfolio. The company has been engaging with Nigeria’s midstream regulator to drive operational improvements, and at AEW, CEO Lanre Kalejaiye and Head of Business Strategy and Planning Kingsley Ajie will outline how ND Western is applying enhanced oil recovery techniques to maximize output from mature assets.

APUS Energy, led by Eyas Alhomouz, is actively reviving offshore exploration in Guinea-Bissau. In September 2024, the company spudded the Atum-1X well offshore – the first such well in nearly two decades – located near Senegal’s prolific Sangomar field, targeting an estimated 314 million barrels of recoverable oil. Drilling is ongoing using the Ocean BlackRhino drillship, with well management by AGR.

“Making energy poverty history is about unlocking Africa’s full resource potential – including through the empowerment of independent operators. These companies bring agility, local content and long-term commitment, taking risks on frontier acreage and developing assets others have left behind. AEW is a critical platform because it places independents at the center of the conversation and ensures their stories are heard by investors and policymakers,” states Ore Onagbesan, AEW: Invest in African Energies Program Director.

With financing from private equity, regional banks and export-credit agencies picking up, independents are less reliant on majors and more empowered to chart their own paths. Their success underscores a broader shift toward African-led energy development, where local expertise and nimble execution take precedence. At AEW 2025, these leaders will not only share insights on their own projects but also offer a vision of how smaller, more agile operators can reshape the future of African oil and gas.

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.