CAPE TOWN (Realist English). Africa is poised for a wave of new oil and gas exploration as countries across the continent prepare to launch dozens of licensing rounds in 2024 and 2025. According to the African Energy Chamber’s State of African Energy 2025 Outlook Report, the upcoming bids aim to tap into vast undeveloped reserves and drive long-term growth through foreign investment and infrastructure development.
The initiatives will take center stage at this year’s African Energy Week in Cape Town under the theme “Invest in African Energies”, where industry leaders will connect with new block opportunities across the continent.
North Africa
Libya, in a notable return to upstream activity after years of instability, launched its first licensing round since 2011 in March 2025, offering 22 exploration blocks across strategic basins. The bid attracted interest from 37 international companies. Algeria followed suit, awarding five new licenses in June as part of a $50 billion investment plan in hydrocarbons over the next four years. Egypt also launched a bid round in March, offering 12 offshore and onshore blocks focused on the Mediterranean and Nile Delta.
West Africa
Sierra Leone and Nigeria are preparing new licensing rounds for 2025. Freetown is offering around 50 offshore blocks, while Nigeria will focus on unlocking undeveloped and marginal fields. Liberia, meanwhile, offered 29 offshore blocks in 2024, supported by detailed seismic surveys to attract international explorers.
East Africa
Tanzania will offer 26 blocks in a 2025 licensing round, reinforcing its push to accelerate natural gas development. Kenya is set to launch its first-ever licensing round in September, targeting the underexplored Lamu and Anza basins. Uganda plans to introduce new exploration acreage in the 2025/2026 fiscal year as it prepares for the start of commercial production.
Southern Africa
Angola will open bidding for 10 offshore and onshore blocks in 2025, aligning with its national six-year energy expansion roadmap. Namibia, riding the momentum of recent offshore discoveries, is keeping its licensing framework open through a flexible “open-door” system that encourages continuous investment interest.
The upcoming rounds mark a coordinated continental effort to reinvigorate Africa’s role in global energy markets. While geopolitics and energy transitions shape broader investment trends, the scale and variety of new blocks — coupled with government-backed incentives — signal a strong intent to boost domestic production, reduce import reliance, and build energy-export revenues. If successful, Africa could see a resurgence of upstream activity not witnessed since the early 2000s.
