Nigerian oil and gas companies are expected to take a leading role at African Energy Week, AEW 2026, in Cape Town, South Africa, as the country’s upstream operators move to strengthen partnerships, attract fresh investment and showcase Nigeria’s growing capacity in field development, gas commercialisation and energy infrastructure.

The participation of Nigerian operators at the continental energy gathering comes at a time when the country’s oil and gas industry is undergoing significant transition, with indigenous firms taking on bigger responsibilities in exploration, production, asset development and export infrastructure.

For years, Nigeria’s upstream sector was largely defined by the activities of international oil companies. But the ongoing shift in the industry has created space for local operators to expand their portfolios, acquire strategic assets, drill new wells, develop marginal fields and invest in infrastructure needed to sustain production.

At AEW 2026, Nigerian operators are expected to engage investors, financiers, regulators, policymakers and other African energy stakeholders on project development, regional collaboration, gas monetisation and the future of upstream investment on the continent.

Among those expected at the event is TotalEnergies’ Nigeria Managing Director and Country Chair, Matthieu Bouyer, who will attend alongside former TotalEnergies Managing Director, Adewale Fayemi. TotalEnergies remains a major player in Nigeria’s upstream market, particularly in deepwater operations, and continues to maintain offshore investment in the country.

First E&P, one of Nigeria’s increasingly prominent indigenous upstream companies, will also be represented at the conference. The company, which produces approximately 57,000 barrels per day, has continued to build its portfolio through asset development and strategic operations in the Niger Delta. Its Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Ademola Adeyemi-Bero, and Chief Strategy Officer, George Toriola, will represent the company at AEW 2026.

Emadeb E&P is also expected to participate as it continues to expand its upstream footprint through acquisitions and project execution. The company achieved first oil at the Ibom Field in 2025, a development described as the first new shallow-water offshore project in Nigeria in more than 15 years. With investment of more than $100 million and further drilling campaigns planned, Emadeb is positioning itself as one of the emerging players in Nigeria’s shallow-water space. Its Managing Director, Oluwasegun Ogunsanya, and Chief Operating Officer, Sheriff Adeeyo, will attend the event.

SunTrust Atlantic Energies will bring to the conference its experience in long-term marginal field production. The company has produced more than 54 million barrels of crude from the Umusadege field in OML 56 since 2008 and has sustained output of about 10,000 barrels per day. Its Founder and Chief Executive, Ugo Okafor, and Executive Director, Rachel Akhuetie, will participate at AEW 2026.

Lekoil will be represented by its Company Secretary and General Manager, Legal, Gloria Iroegbunam, and Chief Technical Officer, Sam Olotu. Through its Otakikpo asset, the company commissioned Nigeria’s first indigenous onshore crude export terminal in nearly five decades. It is also expanding gas-to-power infrastructure and advancing the commercialisation of additional discoveries, including OPL 310.

Energia’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Oladimeji Bashorun, and Pan Ocean & Newcross Chief Financial Officer, Seyi Oladapo, are also expected at the conference. Pan Ocean and Newcross have grown their interests across producing assets, gas infrastructure and export logistics, while Energia continues to contribute to Nigeria’s production targets through operated and partnered assets in the Niger Delta.

Speaking on the participation of the Nigerian operators, NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the African Energy Chamber, said the companies represent the new investment momentum in Nigeria’s upstream sector.

“These operators are drilling new wells, building export terminals and financing offshore developments that did not exist five years ago. Nigeria’s upstream sector is growing not only through asset transfers but through new investment and new production,” Ayuk said.

Industry observers say the growing presence of Nigerian operators at AEW 2026 reflects the country’s changing role in Africa’s energy landscape. Beyond being one of the continent’s largest crude oil producers, Nigeria is increasingly producing companies with the technical, financial and operational capacity to participate in broader African energy development.

As African countries seek to increase production, monetise gas resources and attract capital into energy projects, collaboration among operators, governments and investors is expected to become more important.

For Nigeria, AEW 2026 offers an opportunity to demonstrate that its indigenous operators are no longer peripheral players, but central actors in the future of African upstream development.

Their presence in Cape Town will reinforce Nigeria’s position as a major energy market and highlight the role of local companies in driving investment, production, infrastructure development and regional energy cooperation across the continent.