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Oando, Sahara Upstream and Asharami Energy to Drive Nigeria’s Upstream Growth Dialogue at AEW 2026
Nigeria’s oil and gas companies are taking on a growing share of the work required to turn Africa’s existing hydrocarbon resources into new production, from acquiring and redeveloping mature fields to investing in evacuation infrastructure and expanding technical capacity. That shift will be reflected at African Energy Week (AEW) 2026, where Akinbambo Ibidapo-Obe, General Manager, Commercial at Oando Energy Resources; Dr. Tosin Etomi, Chief Value Officer at Sahara Upstream; and Leste Aihevba, Chief Technical Officer at Asharami Energy, will join senior industry leaders in Cape Town from October 12–16.
The participation comes as Nigeria’s domestic producers take on a larger role in the country’s upstream sector, acquiring assets from international majors, bringing previously underdeveloped fields back into production and investing in the infrastructure needed to unlock new volumes. Oando Energy Resources is at the forefront of this shift. Following its $783 million acquisition of Eni’s Nigerian Agip Oil Company, Oando expanded its Nigerian portfolio to interests across 14 exploration, development and production licences. In March 2026, the company took its first operated position outside Nigeria, signing a production-sharing contract for a 45% operated interest in Angola’s onshore KON 13 block in the Kwanza Basin. The move underscores Oando’s ambition to build a pan-African upstream portfolio while applying its Nigerian operating experience across other resource-rich markets.
Sahara Upstream is tackling a different but equally critical constraint – getting oil from the field to market. In August, the company deployed the 380,000-barrel MT D Adesanya to support crude evacuation from Nigeria’s OML 18, helping improve shuttle-vessel turnaround and expand export capacity as production increases. The investment reflects Sahara’s broader strategy of pairing upstream growth with the infrastructure required to sustain it, with Chief Value Officer Etomi helping steer the company’s focus on value creation across the upstream chain.
At Asharami Energy – Sahara Group’s upstream E&P subsidiary – technical execution is central to an ambitious production strategy. Chief Technical Officer Aihevba oversees several assets across the Niger Delta, with responsibility for production growth, gas monetization and operational performance. The company is targeting production of 350,000 barrels per day by 2030, supported by an expansion of its upstream capabilities and the acquisition of seven new rigs. In July, Asharami also marked six million lost-time-injury-free man-hours across its OML-148 operations, underscoring its focus on pairing ambitious production growth with safety and operational discipline.
“Africa needs more companies that can move from owning resources to actually developing them, operating them and creating value around them,” said NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the African Energy Chamber. “Oando, Sahara Upstream and Asharami Energy are showing what African-led upstream growth can look like, from acquisitions and production expansion to infrastructure and technical excellence.”
With Nigeria at the center of Africa’s indigenous upstream movement, AEW 2026 will provide a platform for the companies behind that transformation to discuss where the next barrels will come from, what infrastructure they require and how African capital and expertise can play a larger role in developing the continent’s energy resources.