Forum to push African financing, gas development, local refining and cross-border petroleum market
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited and other leading African national oil companies will meet in Cape Town on October 12 to advance plans for regional refining, African-backed energy financing and greater trade in petroleum products across the continent.
The meeting, the eighth African Petroleum Producers' Organization NOC-CEO Forum, will be held alongside African Energy Week 2026 and hosted by the South African National Petroleum Company.
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NNPC Group Chief Executive Officer, Bashir Bayo Ojulari, is expected to join national oil company chiefs from Algeria, Angola, Ghana, Libya, Senegal, Namibia, Gabon, Cameroon and other petroleum-producing countries.
The forum comes as African governments and energy companies intensify efforts to retain more value from the continent's oil and gas resources through domestic refining, regional gas development, local content and the mobilisation of African capital.
At the centre of the discussions will be how Africa can reduce its dependence on imported refined petroleum products, finance major energy infrastructure and create a more integrated regional market.
Although Africa remains a major producer of crude oil and natural gas, several countries continue to export raw resources while importing petrol, diesel and other refined products at high cost.
The Cape Town meeting is expected to examine how national oil companies can work together to expand refining capacity, develop petrochemical hubs and improve the movement of petroleum products between African markets.
Africa seeks greater value from oil resources
The forum will focus on proposals to process more African crude within the continent instead of exporting it for refining abroad.
Delegates are expected to discuss regional refining and petrochemical hubs that could serve several markets, reduce fuel imports and create opportunities in manufacturing, logistics, chemicals and related industries.
The initiative forms part of APPO's broader strategy to replace fragmented national markets with an integrated African petroleum value chain.
Under the proposed structure, countries could pool crude supply, infrastructure, finance and demand rather than relying solely on individual national projects.
The forum will also consider a proposed African petroleum products exchange designed to connect producers, refiners, marketers and buyers across member countries.
Efforts to harmonise fuel specifications, customs procedures and petroleum regulations will also be discussed.
The objective is to make it easier for African countries to trade petroleum products with one another while improving supply security and reducing exposure to global disruptions.
Energy Bank takes centre stage
Financing will be another major issue at the meeting following progress on the Africa Energy Bank, one of APPO's flagship projects.
The bank is intended to provide funding for African oil, gas and energy infrastructure at a time when several international lenders are reducing support for hydrocarbon developments.
Forum discussions will focus on how the institution can work with Afreximbank and other African financial institutions to support upstream production, pipelines, refineries, gas-processing plants and storage facilities.
National oil company executives are also expected to identify bankable projects that could attract financing in 2027.
The meeting will examine commercial structures that reduce investment risk and allow governments, national oil companies and private investors to jointly finance strategic projects.
For countries such as Nigeria, which is seeking to expand crude oil production, gas processing and domestic refining, the success of the bank could provide an additional source of long-term capital.
APPO has increasingly argued that Africa must develop financing institutions capable of supporting its own energy priorities.
The organisation believes that greater reliance on African capital will reduce the vulnerability of major projects to changes in international lending policies.
Gas, power and industrialisation
Natural gas will feature prominently during the forum.
Executives will consider regional LNG cooperation, gas supply agreements, gas-to-power projects and investments that expand access to liquefied petroleum gas.
They will also discuss measures to reduce routine gas flaring and develop markets for gas that is currently stranded or underutilised.
African governments increasingly view gas as an important fuel for electricity generation, manufacturing, fertiliser production and industrial expansion.
However, several gas discoveries remain undeveloped because of inadequate pipelines, limited processing infrastructure and weak domestic demand.
Regional cooperation could allow countries to combine demand, share infrastructure and improve the commercial viability of gas projects.
For Nigeria, which holds some of Africa's largest natural gas reserves, the discussions could open additional opportunities for regional gas exports, industrial partnerships and infrastructure collaboration.
NNPC joins continental oil leaders
Apart from Ojulari, expected participants include Nour Eddine Daoudi, CEO of Algeria's Sonatrach; Sebastião Gaspar Martins, Chairman and CEO of Angola's Sonangol; Kwame NtowAmoah, CEO of Ghana National Petroleum Corporation; and Masoud Suleman Mousa Mahmoud, CEO of Libya's National Oil Corporation.
Others include Adolphe Moudiki of Cameroon's SNH; Maixent Raoul Ominga of the Republic of Congo's SNPC; Fatoumata Mbalou Sanogo of Ivory Coast's Petroci; Bienvenido Nguema Envo of Equatorial Guinea's GEPetrol; Victoria Sibeya of Namibia's Namcor; and Alioune Guèye of Senegal's Petrosen.
The meeting will also feature executives from Benin, Chad, Niger, Gabon, Egypt and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Their discussions will cover joint investment opportunities, shared infrastructure, technical cooperation, training and supplier development.
Delegates will review existing agreements between national oil companies and identify areas where new partnerships can be developed.
Push for stronger local content
APPO is also expected to present digital platforms designed to connect African suppliers, investors, researchers and training institutions.
The platforms will cover procurement, supplier certification, project finance, technical research, training and business intelligence.
The initiative is intended to make it easier for African companies to participate in energy projects outside their home markets.
It also reflects growing pressure on national oil companies to ensure that more contracts, jobs and technical opportunities are retained within the continent.
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Local content has become a major policy priority for petroleum-producing countries seeking to convert oil and gas production into broader economic development.
By connecting suppliers and contractors across member states, APPO hopes to create a larger African market for energy services and equipment.
Forum targets measurable outcomes
The Cape Town meeting will conclude with the adoption of resolutions, a 2027 roadmap and performance indicators.
This is intended to ensure that decisions taken at the forum are followed by measurable action.
The previous meeting, held in Accra in September 2025, focused on regional cooperation, the operationalisation of the Africa Energy Bank and cross-border infrastructure.
Executives also visited the 40,000-barrel-per-day Sentuo Oil Refinery, highlighting the growing importance of domestic refining in Africa's energy security strategy.
The Cape Town forum is expected to build on those discussions by identifying specific projects, financing opportunities and commercial partnerships.
As African countries seek to finance more of their own projects, refine more crude locally and trade more energy within the continent, the meeting is expected to test whether national oil companies can move from policy coordination to practical execution.
For Nigeria and other major petroleum producers, the stakes are high.
The decisions taken in Cape Town could influence the development of new refineries, gas infrastructure, regional supply agreements and financing structures capable of reshaping Africa's energy industry.
