Covid-19 puts African energy on pause
Discoveries have been almost non-existent since the pandemic, and investments in the power sector have stalled despite urgent need
When Covid-19 became a pandemic in February, Petroleum Economist feared it would impact the oil and gas industry disproportionally hard in sub-Saharan Africa. Unfortunately, this prediction has come to pass. Global discovery volumes have understandably been weak so far this year. Discoveries of conventional resources were the lowest of any H1 of the 21st century, at just 4.9bn bl boe, according to data and analytics company Rystad Energy, with average monthly discoveries down 34pc. But Africa accounted for less than 1pc of these volumes, while Russia, South America and the Middle East accounted for a combined 73pc. The Covid-19 lockdown, travel restrictions and associated logistical issues w
Also in this section
1 August 2025
A number of companies have filed arbitration claims against Gazprom over non-deliveries of contracted gas or other matters—and won. The next step is to collect the award; this is no easy task but it can be done thanks to an international legal framework under the New York Convention.
1 August 2025
Europe’s refining sector is desperately trying to adapt to a shifting global energy landscape and nowhere is this more apparent than in its largest economy
1 August 2025
The Middle East natural gas playbook is being rewritten. The fuel source offers the region a pathway to a cleaner, sustainable and affordable means of local power, to fasttrack economic development and as a lucrative opportunity to better monetise its energy resources.
31 July 2025
TotalEnergies is an outlier among other majors for remaining committed to low-carbon investments while continuing to replenish and expand its ample oil and gas portfolio, with an appetite for high risk/high return projects.
