Angola's upstream is back to business
With a new president elected, the country will be keen to bolster oil and gas exploration to compensate for flagging output from mature fields
Following a predictable victory for Eduardo Dos Santos' chosen successor João Lourenço in Angola's presidential elections, the country's oil minister has said he expects to launch an onshore licensing round once a new government is installed. The previous round was suspended in the run up to the election. Isabel Dos Santos, the head of state-run firm Sonangol, cancelled the country's onshore licensing round, which had awarded acreage in December 2015 to little-known and locally-based companies with little prospect of having the resources to develop it. The oil minister, José Maria Botelho de Vasconcelos, said a tender for fresh acreage in the Namibe Basin, offshore southern Angola, may also
Also in this section
2 April 2026
Alongside a rapid continued build-out of renewables, China’s latest five-year plan stresses the value of domestic hydrocarbon production for energy security and calls for increased Russian gas imports
2 April 2026
The government is taking important steps to revive domestic production, lift investment and benefit from the geopolitical crisis even if more needs to be done in the longer term
1 April 2026
Golden Pass’s startup offers QatarEnergy a timely boost but may also force a difficult choice between honouring disrupted contracts and capitalising on soaring spot LNG prices
1 April 2026
It is not a case of if or when, but the length and magnitude of economic damage from elevated oil prices
