Africa’s oil and gas sector poised for new exploration boom, say industry leaders

Africa’s oil and gas industry could be entering a new era of exploration, underpinned by breakthroughs in seismic imaging, enhanced subsurface datasets, and faster permitting processes, according to experts speaking at Africa Energy Week (AEW): Invest in African Energies 2025 in Cape Town.

Emmanuelle Garinet, Vice President of Exploration Africa at TotalEnergies, said advances in seismic and subsurface technologies were transforming the continent’s exploration outlook, particularly in frontier basins such as Namibia.

“When we decided to drill the Venus well, it was frontier, but we had a probability of success of more than 50% because of the seismic data and direct hydrocarbon indicators,” Garinet said.

She noted that Namibia’s success illustrates how modern data tools can reduce exploration risk and unlock new hydrocarbon provinces.

In the Republic of Congo, she said, TotalEnergies’ permitting process has accelerated dramatically — with approval secured in less than six months and drilling expected to begin by year-end.

“We got our permit in less than six months and are preparing for drilling by the end of the year,” Garinet said.

By contrast, South Africa’s permitting system has faced delays due to legal challenges, a problem she described as “unacceptable” given limited budgets for global exploration.

Gavin Lewis, Chevron's general manager for new ventures, said Africa’s biggest barrier to exploration growth was its shortage of multi-client subsurface datasets, which form the foundation for advanced exploration and AI-driven workflows.

“Before you can do any AI-driven workflows, you need a dataset that illuminates what the subsurface looks like,” he said.

“What Africa has lost is the ability to sponsor multi-client subsurface datasets. The only basin that allows for large, regional high-quality datasets is the Gulf of America, which has allowed that basin to reinvent itself multiple times.”

Bryan Ritchie, VP of Exploration for bp, highlighted progress in Egypt’s Nile Delta, where bp recently completed the region’s first deepwater ocean-bottom node seismic survey over the Atoll field.

He said the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS) now plans to expand data coverage across a wider portion of the delta, identifying new exploration opportunities.

“We’re seeing new possibilities emerging from these images,” Ritchie said.

Woodside Energy’s VP of Exploration, Terry Gebhardt, said that the same geoscience and imaging technologies used for oil and gas exploration were also critical for carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects.

“These tools are vital not just for finding new reserves but for maximizing recovery in existing fields and supporting energy transition efforts,” Gebhardt said.

The panel discussion, hosted by EnerGeo Alliance, underscored growing investor confidence in Africa’s upstream sector.

Nikki Martin, President and CEO of EnerGeo Alliance, said African oil and gas capital expenditure was on track to reach $54 billion by 2030, driven by renewed exploration appetite.

“Exploration spending alone is set to rise by $6bn in 2024, signaling a clear resurgence in interest across the continent,” Martin said.

With frontier exploration success in Namibia and accelerated development in countries like the Republic of Congo and Egypt, industry leaders agreed that Africa stands at the threshold of a new exploration renaissance — one powered by data, technology, and smarter regulation.

BUSINESS REPORT

ca’s oil and gas industry could be entering a new era of exploration, underpinned by breakthroughs in seismic imaging, enhanced subsurface datasets, and faster permitting processes, according to experts speaking at Africa Energy Week (AEW): Invest in African Energies 2025 in Cape Town.

Emmanuelle Garinet, Vice President of Exploration Africa at TotalEnergies, said advances in seismic and subsurface technologies were transforming the continent’s exploration outlook, particularly in frontier basins such as Namibia.

“When we decided to drill the Venus well, it was frontier, but we had a probability of success of more than 50% because of the seismic data and direct hydrocarbon indicators,” Garinet said.

She noted that Namibia’s success illustrates how modern data tools can reduce exploration risk and unlock new hydrocarbon provinces.

In the Republic of Congo, she said, TotalEnergies’ permitting process has accelerated dramatically — with approval secured in less than six months and drilling expected to begin by year-end.

 “We got our permit in less than six months and are preparing for drilling by the end of the year,” Garinet said.

By contrast, South Africa’s permitting system has faced delays due to legal challenges, a problem she described as “unacceptable” given limited budgets for global exploration.

Gavin Lewis, CEO of Chevron, said Africa’s biggest barrier to exploration growth was its shortage of multi-client subsurface datasets, which form the foundation for advanced exploration and AI-driven workflows.

“Before you can do any AI-driven workflows, you need a dataset that illuminates what the subsurface looks like,” he said.

“What Africa has lost is the ability to sponsor multi-client subsurface datasets. The only basin that allows for large, regional high-quality datasets is the Gulf of America, which has allowed that basin to reinvent itself multiple times.”

Bryan Ritchie, VP of Exploration for bp, highlighted progress in Egypt’s Nile Delta, where bp recently completed the region’s first deepwater ocean-bottom node seismic survey over the Atoll field.

He said the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS) now plans to expand data coverage across a wider portion of the delta, identifying new exploration opportunities.

“We’re seeing new possibilities emerging from these images,” Ritchie said.

Woodside Energy’s VP of Exploration, Terry Gebhardt, said that the same geoscience and imaging technologies used for oil and gas exploration were also critical for carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects.

“These tools are vital not just for finding new reserves but for maximizing recovery in existing fields and supporting energy transition efforts,” Gebhardt said.

The panel discussion, hosted by EnerGeo Alliance, underscored growing investor confidence in Africa’s upstream sector.

Nikki Martin, President and CEO of EnerGeo Alliance, said African oil and gas capital expenditure was on track to reach $54 billion by 2030, driven by renewed exploration appetite.

“Exploration spending alone is set to rise by $6bn in 2024, signaling a clear resurgence in interest across the continent,” Martin said.

With frontier exploration success in Namibia and accelerated development in countries like the Republic of Congo and Egypt, industry leaders agreed that Africa stands at the threshold of a new exploration renaissance — one powered by data, technology, and smarter regulation.

BUSINESS REPORT