Security Expert and Vectus Global Founder Erik Prince Joins AEW 2026 Speaker Lineup

Erik Prince, founder of security and logistics company Vectus Global, has joined the speaker lineup for African Energy Week (AEW) 2026 in Cape Town. His participation adds an operational security voice to the conference, supporting the governments, national oil companies and international financiers who are working to advance Africa’s next wave of oil, gas and mining developments.

Prince has built his career around keeping people and equipment safe in unconventional environments. Over more than two decades, his companies have provided aviation and ground support to resource operators across Africa, enabling exploration and production in regions far from established infrastructure.

A growing share of Africa’s undeveloped resources lies in frontier basins and inland mining districts, many of them hundreds of kilometers from the nearest port. The ability to protect pipelines and export corridors weighs heavily on project timelines and financing terms. At AEW 2026, Prince will engage directly with the ministers, operators and investors shaping how and where Africa’s resources are developed.

“For investors to have faith in a project, they must be able to protect it. Erik has spent years working in places most companies won’t go, and having him at AEW alongside ministers and financiers gives us a much more grounded conversation about what it takes to build in Africa,” says NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the African Energy Chamber.

As exploration pushes deeper into new frontiers, the companies supporting operations on the ground will play an expanding role in Africa’s push to make energy poverty history by 2030.

AEW 2026 is the platform of choice for project operators, financiers, technology providers and governments, and has emerged as the official place to sign deals in African energy. Taking place October 12–16 in Cape Town, the conference unites global stakeholders around Africa’s energy future. Visit www.aecweek.com to register and for more information.