AEW 2026 to Launch 2027 African Energy Outlook Report

African Energy Week (AEW) 2026 will launch The State of African Energy 2027 outlook during its Day 2 Technical Stages, with the African Energy Chamber's (AEC) Senior Vice President Verner Ayukegba and S&P Global Energy Executive Director Max Pietzsch presenting a continent-wide view of oil and gas, LNG, power, renewables and critical minerals against shifting global demand, trade flows and energy security requirements.

The outlook launch sits within a broader programme of technical sessions running across two exhibition-hall stages at AEW 2026, which takes place October 12-16 in Cape Town.

The Drill Room will focus on practical applications across exploration, gas development, offshore operations and LNG, while the Innovation Hub will cover frontier exploration, energy markets, digital technologies and infrastructure, together connecting individual project technologies with the wider investment picture the State of African Energy outlook is designed to capture.

Deepwater and gas projects set the scene for the outlook

The day's technical programme opens with GeoEnergy Petroleum Director Maged Fahim examining how legacy and newly acquired subsurface data, geological information gathered through seismic surveys and drilling, can be combined with modern technologies to identify further upstream opportunities.

TGS Principal Exploration Advisor Felicia Winter will then focus on Angola's deepwater basins, looking at how modern seismic acquisition and imaging can be used to reinterpret existing data and assess frontier exploration areas, as Angola works to build on renewed offshore activity following TotalEnergies' announcement in September of a planned $10 billion investment in the country over the next five years.

Gas development will be addressed through two TotalEnergies presentations, one on appraisal strategies for Orange Basin discoveries and another on development of the Rovuma Basin's gas resources tied to the Mozambique LNG project, which resumed activities in January 2026 after force majeure was lifted.

The Republic of Congo National Showcase will add a further gas perspective, highlighting the country's Congo LNG project, which reached commercial production from its second phase in February 2026, lifting total liquefaction capacity to 3 million tonnes a year.

Benchmarking and infrastructure round out the day

Beyond the outlook launch, other sessions will examine project decision-making and infrastructure development.

S&P Global Energy Technical Research Analyst Tasnika Goorhoo will present on how comparative project data, or benchmarking, can help operators assess performance, costs and development outcomes, while NOV Vice President Mats Anderson will address offshore optimisation through high-speed downhole connectivity and real-time measurement technologies.

Kenyon International West Africa CEO Victor Ekpenyong will examine asset integrity and pipeline infrastructure, and Honeywell Technologies Africa, SLB, InSwitch, the Petroleum Directorate of Sierra Leone and PETROSEN will contribute further perspectives on technology, digitalisation and energy services.

NJ Ayuk, executive chairman of the AEC, who organises AEW, said the conference reflects the practical challenges facing Africa's energy industry as projects move from resource potential toward development and production.

According to Ayuk, the sessions, including the launch of the new outlook, highlight the expertise and technologies needed to develop Africa's resources efficiently and create lasting value across the energy value chain.