AOW:Energy 2026 — Where Bigger Opportunities and Bolder Visions Will Shape Africa’s Upstream Future

I have taken the run into 2026 to set out not only what we have seen from AOW 2025, and now we want to pivot to set out some tasters of what can be expected in 2026. As I look ahead to AOW:Energy 2026, one thing is already clear, this will be the most opportunity-driven edition in our history. The momentum we built in 2025 has set the stage for an even more ambitious and impactful year. The African upstream sector is moving with renewed confidence, and AOW:Energy 2026 will be where that confidence transforms into tangible deals, partnerships, and long-term growth.

At the heart of our strategy for 2026 is the creation of a new AOW:Energy Advisory Board, which will soon be announced. This Board will bring together a diverse and influential group of leaders from across Africa and the global energy industry, united by one mission, to shape and drive upstream growth across the continent for years to come.

We are proud to already have a broad NOC and Regulator Advisory Board in place. These leaders are ensuring that the 2026 program reflects the real challenges, opportunities, and priorities of government agencies. For the first time, we are introducing a dedicated Government Program Committee, a body that will design sessions directly from the perspective of policymakers and regulators. This means that delegates can expect the most compelling, government-led program ever delivered, with deep insights into policy, regulation, and emerging opportunities.

From the Maghreb to the huge opportunities in Southern Africa, and the excitement building across the South Atlantic to the Equatorial margin, the opportunity being presented at AOW cant be under estimated, the 2026 showcases will highlight some of the most prospective basins on the continent, giving investors and operators a front-row view of the next wave of African exploration.

In parallel, we are also assembling a Financial Services Committee, tasked with addressing one of the sector’s most pressing needs, access to capital. This committee will focus on alternative finance mechanisms that unlock new pathways for public and private sector stakeholders to fund projects, expand portfolios, and accelerate development. As the global energy financing landscape evolves, AOW:Energy 2026 will be the place where innovative financial solutions meet Africa’s upstream ambitions.

Beyond these new structures, we will also be introducing dedicated government-focused sessions that go even deeper to provide attendees from the operator, finance, and service sectors with greater access to new subsurface insights, policy and regualtion intelligence, and deeper regional engagement with leadership. These sessions are designed to help participants originate new ventures, identify tender opportunities, explore work programs, and position themselves in the most exciting projects coming on stream in 2026 and beyond.

The energy that defines AOW:Energy has always come from its people, from the ministers who share their strategies, to the operators who present new discoveries and M&A opportunities, to the financiers who turn ideas into investment. In 2026, we are taking that dynamic to a new level.

If 2025 reminded the world that AOW:Energy is where Africa’s deals are done, then 2026 will show that this is also where the future of the African upstream is shaped, collaboratively, boldly, and with the full power of the continent’s most visionary leaders behind it.

Be Part of Africa’s Most Influential Energy Platform: 

Now is the time to secure your place at AOW:Energy 2026, the home of upstream dealmaking in Africa.