2024 Conference Agenda Sessions

PANEL DISCUSSION: Financing the African Upstream

Africa’s oil production has dropped significantly over the past decade on the back of instability in parts of the continent and an increasingly challenging access to capital. The African Upstream is diversifying with new local and international entrants but all face the same common challenge of securing the financing for their exploration campaigns and field development plans. To address the financing needs of African operators, we gather financiers and CFOs from leading African E&P companies to find solutions that can bridge the financing deficit on the continent. What are the key challenges to financing African E&P projects?

Key areas of discussion: 

• How have investment trends in the African upstream oil & gas sector evolved in recent years, and what factors influence investor risk appetite in different regions of Africa?

• What is the role of trading houses in financing upstream oil & gas projects in Africa, and how can their involvement be optimized?

• What alternative financing models (e.g., project finance, equity partnerships, joint ventures) are emerging within the African upstream oil & gas industry, and how do they address the unique challenges of financing oil & gas projects in the region?

• How do regulatory stability and fiscal policies in African countries impact the availability of financing for upstream oil & gas projects? What measures can governments take to attract more investment while ensuring sustainable development and fair revenue sharing?

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AOW 2023 Programme Sessions

Structuring the Deals of the Future

As African operators and asset owners seek to raise billions to grow oil & gas production and expand energy infrastructure, global competition to access capital is intensifying. For most investors and financiers, projects must demonstrate their compliance with global ESG standards and alignment with a lower carbon future to be attractive. What does that mean for African oil & gas projects?

 

• What are the key requirements any African project must consider to be bankable and attractive in the current market environment?  
• How can lenders to African deals support and ensure their borrowers look to reduce carbon emissions and play their part in the energy transition?  
• What alternative funding models can be considered to attract investment?
• The requirement for a “lenders’ environmental adviser”: how important is this for lenders?  
• When will an Environmental and Social Action Plan be required and how important is that document to a successful financing?

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