By: Energy capital & power

As one of Africa’s leading oil producers, Angola continues to cement its role as a global energy exporter. However, it is the country’s underexplored frontier basins that may ultimately determine the future trajectory of its oil industry. In an effort to sustain production levels above one million barrels per day, Angola is actively incentivizing investment in these regions. Angola Oil Gas 2025 will spotlight Angola’s frontier prospects and facilitate connections between operators and exploration blocks to drive new activity.

Namibe-Benguela Basins

Situated along the eastern South Atlantic margin, Angola’s Namibe and Benuela basins hold significant potential for major oil deposits. Their geological similarities to Brazil’s prolific Santos Basin – and their proximity to the proven offshore Kwanza Basin – make them compelling targets for exploration. With the Santos Basin yielding supergiant fields in recent years, attention has turned to previously overlooked pre-salt prospects within Namibe.

Energy major ExxonMobil is leading frontier exploration in this basin. The company spud the Arturus-1 well in July 2024 and is currently analyzing the findings of the probe, the results of which could unlock substantial production potential. ExxonMobil previously announced that it could invest as much as $15 billion in the basin through 2030 if it makes a commercial discovery, leveraging cutting-edge technologies and its long-standing presence in Angola to bring a new producing region online.

Etosha-Okavango Basin 

The Etosha-Okavango Basin spans approximately 200,000 km² and holds significant untapped hydrocarbon potential. Located across Angola’s Cuando, Cubango and Cinene provinces, the basin remains largely unexplored. Last week, Canadian oil and gas company ReconAfrica signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Angola’s National Oil, Gas & Biofuels Agency (ANPG) to jointly explore the basin, adding 5.2 million acres in Angola to its existing 6.3 million-acre footprint in Namibia. Under the agreement, ReconAfrica will spearhead a 24-month exploration program that includes oil and gas seep analysis, a 2D seismic survey and regional geological studies.

In a parallel development, Vietnamese energy firm Xuan Thien Group (XTG) signed a separate agreement with the ANPG in March 2025 to conduct joint research and exploration in the Etosha-Okavango Basin. XTG’s entry marks an important step toward opening this frontier onshore basin, where minimal exploration has taken place to date.

Kassanje Basin

Kassanje , located in the Malange and Uige provinces, is another inland frontier basin in Angola. The ANPG has been conducting oil exploration studies on the basin since 2022, as part of a campaign to identify hydrocarbon potential onshore Angola. Fieldwork includes rock sampling and geological and geochemical analysis. The ANPG kicked off research at the basin by conducting an Environment Impact Assessment in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, given the basin’s proximity to protected environmental areas. The assessment revealed limited potential for negative impact by oil exploration on the environment, laying the foundation for future exploration activities.

Honorary Mention: Onshore Kwanza Basin 

Though not a frontier basin, the onshore Kwanza Basin presents compelling opportunities for both brownfield and greenfield development. Angola’s first oil production originated here in the 1950s, and recent government initiatives aim to reinvigorate this historically significant basin. Oando PLC won operatorship of KON 13 in January 2025, marking its entry into the country, while Corcel secured all the requisite approvals to conduct geological surveying on Blocks KON 11, KON 12 and KON 16 in late-2024. Exploration was further boosted by the country’s 2023 Bid Round, which offered 12 onshore blocks, including eight in the Kwanza basin. Five companies qualified as operators in the round, with an additional three companies submitting proposals to become operators of blocks that were not awarded through the bid round.

AOG is the largest oil and gas event in Angola. Taking place with the full support of the Ministry of Mineral Resources, Oil and Gas; the National Oil, Gas and Biofuels Agency; the Petroleum Derivatives Regulatory Institute; national oil company Sonangol; and the African Energy Chamber; the event is a platform to sign deals and advance Angola’s oil and gas industry. To sponsor or participate as a delegate, please contact sales@energycapitalpower.com