Angola Targets 60 Oil and Gas Concessions by Year-End in Major Licensing Drive

Angola is on track to award 60 oil and gas concessions by the end of 2025, advancing its multi-year licensing strategy launched in 2019. Speaking at African Energy Week: Invest in African Energies 2025, Alcides Andrade, Executive Administrator at the National Oil, Gas & Biofuels Agency (ANPG), said the country has already awarded 50 blocks through its annual licensing rounds and direct negotiation programs and is now moving to grant additional licenses to boost production.

“Since 2024, we have awarded more than 20 blocks. This has amounted to more than 50 blocks. We see the potential to award up to 60 concessions by the end of this year. This has been a result of licensing rounds and direct negotiation,” Andrade explained.

Underpinned by a six-year licensing strategy and strengthened fiscal policies, ANPG is steering Angola toward a new phase of investment and growth. The regulator has positioned the country as a leading African destination for upstream spending, with $70 billion in capital expenditure expected over the next five years.

“We have acted to bring additional reforms to incentivize investment in exploration. We are working with the investment community to progress exploration onshore. There are a few operators who have either drilled wells or are working towards drilling next year. Over the next five years, Angola is expecting to see up to $70 billion invested in the country,” Andrade said.

Angola aims to sustain oil production above one million barrels per day, with several project milestones already achieved in 2025. “Agogo, Begonia and CLOV Phase 3 all started production this year,” Andrade noted, highlighting the country’s efforts to maximize resources across its offshore basins.

On the gas front, ANPG is advancing the country’s Gas Master Plan to unlock non-associated reserves. The New Gas Consortium is set to bring Angola’s first non-associated gas project, Quiluma and Maboqueiro - online by the end of 2025, laying the foundation for a more diversified energy mix. A recent discovery at Block 1/14 underscores the potential of Angola’s offshore gas resources, signaling the growing importance of gas in the country’s energy future.

“We have seen a lot of progress on our first non-associated gas project, set to deliver first gas at the end of the year. We believe that we have more than 38 trillion cubic feet of gas potential in the country. We have a lot of studies ongoing to evaluate that potential. We are also delivering on associated gas. There is a lot of potential in currently producing oil blocks, so we are looking at how we can incentivize operators to monetize that gas,” Andrade added.