Sonangol Cites Commitment to Privatization as Company Charts Next Growth Phase

Angolan National Oil Company Sonangol is advancing plans for an initial public offering (IPO) while expanding its upstream portfolio and investing in Angola’s domestic refining capacity, as the national oil company charts its next phase of growth following its 50th anniversary in 2026. Speaking at the opening ceremony of African Energy Week (AEW) 2026, Executive Board Member Osvaldo Inácio reaffirmed the company’s commitment to privatization, alongside efforts to increase production, progress new developments and translate Angola’s oil and gas resources into broader economic growth.

“We want to make sure that we do it in a way that, when you buy your shares, you are happy with the performance of those shares. We are doing the internal work required to make sure that when we get to that point, it’s a successful story,” he said.

Sonangol’s 50th anniversary comes as Angola’s NOC develops opportunities across exploration, producing assets and domestic processing. Its next investment phase requires capital and technical partners to turn appraisal results into developments while delivering refinery infrastructure and expanding the value retained from Angola’s oil and gas production.

“We are thinking about what the next 50 years will be like, focusing on producing to transform. We are not only looking at managing resources but how we translate those resources into overall development in the country,” he said.

Sonangol’s September account of its Katambi-2 work in Block 24 described a completed formation test in a non-associated gas reservoir, providing further evidence for assessment of the field’s development potential. In its producing portfolio, the company and its partners also reported approximately 100 meters of net oil pay at PAC 416 in Block 3/05, as part of a program intended to increase operated production. The results give Sonangol a technical basis for future investment, while appraisal, development design and commercial arrangements remain necessary steps.

“If you look at our portfolio, we have both operated and non-operated assets. The focus is on making sure we are doing everything we can to make sure those assets are still producing at the highest rate possible. New developments such as Block 3/05 are advancing. We are also part of Kaminho with TotalEnergies,” Inácio shared.

Downstream, Angola’s government reported in September that the Lobito refinery was approximately 26% physically complete, with around $1.6 billion invested and completion envisaged for 2029. A potential petrochemical complex was under study. Alongside Cabinda’s initial 30,000-bpd refining phase, Lobito gives Sonangol’s diversification program a concrete industrial focus, with financing, construction progress and product marketing central to the next stage.