Global data and analytics provider Wood Mackenzie has joined the African Energy Week (AEW): Invest in African Energies 2025 conference as a Knowledge Partner. Through this partnership, Wood Mackenzie brings their expertise to Africa’s premier investment platform for the energy sector, as the continent continues to drive socioeconomic development on the back of its immense resource wealth.
With an $800-billion, 20-year upstream capital expenditure (capex) program, Africa is well positioned to present substantial oil and gas-driven opportunities for international investors, project developers and service providers. According to Upstream Research Director at Wood Mackenzie Ian Thom, a major theme of investment for this immense capex program will be LNG, which has emerged as one of the continent’s most lucrative sectors to drive investment and development.
In line with its commitment to spurring growth in African energy, Wood Mackenzie publishes a series of African outlook reports, providing real-time data and highlighting the latest trends and investment opportunities shaping the African commodities and energy industry. In its latest Sub-Saharan Africa Upstream: 2024 in Review report, released in January 2025, the intelligence company highlights a steady production growth, with the region’s oil and gas output posting a 5% increase.
This increase, according to the report, was driven primarily by the start-up of Senegal’s Sangomar oil field and a recovery in Nigeria’s oil sector. The report also shows that mergers and acquisition spending in the region nearly doubled to $6 billion while floating LNG developments gained momentum with energy majors bp and Eni achieving start-ups in the Republic of Congo and the MSGBC Basin.
Meanwhile, in the company’s Energy Transition Outlook: Africa report, released in February last year, the firm showcases a base case scenario whereby Africa’s primary energy demand will increase by 1.2 times from current levels. According to the report, this growth will be driven by the continent’s upwards trending GDP and population growth.
With exploration accelerating across frontier and mature basins, in-depth market analysis from Wood Mackenzie will be crucial in providing global investors with real-time insights on the state of play in Africa’s upstream industry. As such, partnerships like these will be crucial for providing insight into how African countries are expanding their respective oil and gas strategies to attract new investments and create more favorable conditions for global industry players.
“Wood Mackenzie’s expertise in African commodity markets has provided the continent with a competitive advantage in attracting global investments. As African nations prioritize the development of both hydrocarbon and renewable energy resources to ensure energy security and drive industrial growth, Wood Mackenzie’s consulting, research and supply chain insights will play a key role in delivering positive outcomes for both African energy developers and international investors,” says Oré Onagbesan, AEW: Invest in African Energies Program Director.
As a Knowledge Partner to AEW: Invest in African Energies 2025, Wood Mackenzie will build on these insights, providing the latest updates while enabling global stakeholders to navigate changes to Africa’s regulatory frameworks, fiscal incentives and policies.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Chamber.
