How AEW 2026 plans to turn dialogue into energy investment

African energy conferences are often judged by the prominence of their speakers and the scale of their declarations. Ore Onagbesan, Programme Director of African Energy Week, says AEW 2026 will instead be measured by the capital mobilised, policies advanced and projects moved closer to execution. In this interview, she discusses project bankability, private negotiations and the outcomes that would constitute genuine success.

Africa’s energy conferences often produce ambitious declarations, but implementation remains uneven. How has the AEW 2026 programme been designed to move discussions towards identifiable projects, financing commitments and policy decisions?

One of the biggest measures of success for African Energy Week is not how many conversations take place on stage, but what happens after delegates leave Cape Town.

Our objective is to create an environment where policy discussions translate into investment decisions, commercial partnerships and tangible projects.

That is why the programme has been deliberately designed around facilitating decision-making, not just dialogue.

While our strategic conference sessions set the agenda and address the major policy and investment challenges facing the continent, an equally important part of the event happens behind closed doors.

We host ministerial roundtables, investor forums such as the African Farmout Forum and the Deal Room. We also facilitate business-to-business and business-to-government connections and provide private meeting facilities where governments, financiers, project developers and energy companies can engage in confidential negotiations.

These private engagements are often where real progress is made.

Large-scale energy projects are complex. They involve multiple stakeholders, financing partners, commercial agreements and regulatory approvals, and many transactions take months or even years to reach financial close.

AEW provides a platform for those relationships to begin, deepen and ultimately result in investment. The confidentiality of these discussions is essential, but they are a critical part of moving projects from concept to execution.

We have seen this process deliver real outcomes. Governments have used AEW to engage investors ahead of licensing rounds, national oil companies have announced strategic partnerships, and companies have secured financing, signed cooperation agreements and launched projects following introductions made at the event.

Many of these milestones are later celebrated during our official deal-signing ceremony at the Grand Opening, where partners publicly announce agreements before thousands of delegates.

While those announcements are highly visible, they often represent the culmination of months—and sometimes years—of engagement that began or advanced through conversations facilitated by AEW.

This is what distinguishes African Energy Week. We are not simply creating another conference; we are creating a marketplace for African energy investment.

By bringing together policymakers, investors, financiers, technology providers and project developers under one roof, we create the conditions for decisions to be made, capital to be mobilised and projects to move forward.

Ultimately, our success is measured not by the declarations made on stage, but by the investments, policies and partnerships delivered long after the event has concluded.

Global capital is becoming more selective about hydrocarbon investment. What conversations must African governments have with financiers at AEW 2026 to make their energy projects more credible and bankable?

The conversation has evolved beyond simply asking investors to finance projects.

Today, capital is highly selective, and governments must demonstrate that their projects are commercially viable, fiscally competitive and supported by stable, predictable policy frameworks.

At AEW 2026, the focus will be on what governments can do to reduce above-ground risk and improve project bankability.

The first conversation is around policy certainty. Investors are looking for transparent licensing processes, competitive fiscal terms, contract sanctity and regulatory consistency over the life of a project.

Nigeria’s Presidential Executive Orders, introduced to improve competitiveness, accelerate contracting timelines and enhance fiscal certainty, alongside Angola’s sustained licensing reforms and transparent bid rounds, demonstrate how governments can respond directly to investor concerns.

These reforms have helped both countries strengthen their positions as leading investment destinations on the continent.

Secondly, governments must recognise that they are competing for a finite pool of global capital—not only against neighbouring African producers, but also against opportunities in Latin America, the Middle East and Asia.

Capital will naturally flow to jurisdictions where projects can be delivered efficiently, risks are manageable and returns are attractive.

Africa undoubtedly has the resource base, with world-class oil and gas reserves, significant gas-monetisation opportunities and some of the most compelling frontier exploration acreage globally.

The challenge is ensuring that the investment environment is as competitive as the resources themselves.

We are already seeing evidence that this approach works. Rather than withdrawing from Africa, several international energy companies are continuing or increasing investment in strategic markets.

TotalEnergies is advancing developments in Namibia, Mozambique and Uganda. Eni is expanding its gas portfolio in markets including Mozambique, Libya and Côte d’Ivoire. ExxonMobil continues to reinforce its long-term interests in Angola and Nigeria, while Chevron has reaffirmed investment plans across several African markets.

At the same time, African independents such as Seplat Energy and Renaissance Africa Energy are acquiring strategic assets and deploying capital to grow domestic production, demonstrating confidence in the continent’s long-term outlook.

At AEW 2026, these discussions will bring together governments, financiers, development finance institutions, commercial banks and industry leaders to identify the reforms, financing structures and public-private partnerships needed to unlock investment.

Ultimately, investors are not only looking for great geology. They are looking for governments that are reliable partners, projects with clear commercial fundamentals and markets where capital can be deployed with confidence.

Those countries that can provide policy stability, efficient regulation and credible long-term energy strategies will be best positioned to secure the next wave of investment.

When AEW 2026 concludes, which three outcomes would convince you that the programme achieved more than visibility and high-level participation?

For me, success is not measured by attendance or the number of high-profile speakers. It is measured by what happens because of the conversations we facilitate.

If AEW 2026 delivers three outcomes, I will consider it a success.

First, I want to see tangible investment commitments that move projects closer to execution.

Whether that is financing for a gas-to-power project, a new upstream development, renewable energy infrastructure, transmission expansion or digital energy infrastructure, the ultimate goal is to mobilise capital into projects that increase Africa’s energy supply.

We want investors to leave with deals progressing, governments with financing partners and developers with clearer pathways to delivery.

Second, I want to see meaningful policy progress.

African governments understand the reforms needed to attract investment—whether that involves improving fiscal competitiveness, accelerating licensing, strengthening regulatory certainty or creating viable markets for domestic gas and electricity.

If ministers leave AEW with concrete policy actions, stronger public-private partnerships and a renewed commitment to creating investable markets, then the programme will have delivered real value.

Finally, I want delegates to leave with a stronger commitment to regional collaboration.

Africa’s energy future cannot be built country by country in isolation. Greater cross-border cooperation on gas infrastructure, regional power pools, electricity interconnections, refining capacity and energy trade will be essential if we are to achieve energy security and industrialisation at scale.

If AEW helps catalyse new partnerships between neighbouring countries, regional institutions and the private sector, we will have created lasting impact beyond the event itself.

Ultimately, my measure of success is simple: Did we help bring more energy online for Africa?

If AEW 2026 results in projects advancing, investment increasing and policies improving, then we will have achieved far more than visibility. We will have contributed to making affordable and abundant energy a reality for millions of Africans.