Categories: General

Afreximbank convenes Angola oil and gas financing forum to ad-vance local content and indigenous participation

Afreximbank convenes Angola oil and gas financing forum to ad-vance local content and indigenous participation

African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) (www.Afreximbank.com) hosted a Local Content Development Forum in Luanda, Angola, on 9 September 2026, bringing together government institutions, financial institutions, indigenous companies and industry players to explore financing opportunities across Angola’s oil and gas value chain.

Held at the Centro de Convenções de Talatona, the forum focused on how financing, partnerships and transaction structures could support the growth of Angolan companies across the sector, including opportunities in project finance, trade finance, downstream infrastructure and industrial development.

Angola remains one of Africa's most significant energy markets, with Afreximbank having invested close to US$2 billion in the country's oil and gas sector. The forum built on that engagement by examining how more Angolan companies could progress from participation into ownership and scale, when the right financing, partnerships and structures are made available to them.

 

Commenting on Afreximbank’s ambition to support the next generation of Angolan energy companies, Mr. Haytham Elmaayergi, Executive Vice President, Global Trade Bank, Afreximbank, said:

“Angola has built a strong platform for its energy sector, with Afreximbank playing a longstanding role in structuring, financing and mobilising capital to support its development at scale. The next phase is about enabling more Angolan companies to move from participation and service provision towards ownership and scale, drawing on the experience of successful indigenous African operators to turn that ambition into bankable transactions and build the next generation of national and regional champions.”

Speaking at the Forum, Berta Rodrigues Issa, President of ASSEA (Association of Indigenous Companies for the Oil Industry of Angola), congratulated Afreximbank on hosting the event, and for placing Local Content where it truly belongs: "A country does not industrialise merely by exporting more than it imports. It industrialises when it transforms its resources, develops productive capacity and builds companies capable of competing beyond its borders. That is why Afreximbank's theme- “From Resources to Value” - is so deeply aligned with Angola's Local Content agenda.

"For ASSEA, Local Content cannot be limited to the participation of Angolan-owned companies in one-off contracts. It must be a deliberate path towards capacity building, industrialization and competitiveness."

The forum examined practical constraints facing indigenous companies, including access to appropriate financing, bankability, execution capability and market access, and considered how Afreximbank’s financing and advisory capabilities could help address these barriers.

Participants also drew lessons from Nigeria, where indigenous companies such as Oando and Heirs Energies have expanded their ownership and operating positions through significant acquisition transactions. Oando’s US$783 million acquisition of Nigerian Agip Oil Company increased its interests in OMLs 60–63 from 20% to 40%, while Heirs Energies acquired a 45% interest in OML 17 and assumed operatorship of the asset. The examples illustrated how indigenous African companies can scale into larger ownership and operating roles.

The forum also highlighted significant pipeline of opportunities across Angola’s oil and gas sector, including US$2.5 billion for Lobito Oil, US$1 billion for Sonangol, US$1.4 billion for Amufert and US$280 million for Itracom.

Discussions centred on how public institutions, local banks, industry operators and investors could work together to advance these opportunities towards implementation.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Afreximbank.

Media Contact:
Vincent Musumba
Communications and Events Manager (Media Relations)
Email: press@afreximbank.com

Follow us on:
X: https://apo-opa.co/4xPLAX5
Facebook: https://apo-opa.co/4cCG69u
LinkedIn: https://apo-opa.co/4xiCMaW
Instagram: https://apo-opa.co/4xerwMH

About Afreximbank:
African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) is a Pan-African multilateral financial institution mandated to finance and promote intra- and extra-African trade. For over 30 years, the Bank has been deploying innovative structures to deliver financing solutions that support the transformation of the structure of Africa's trade, accelerating industrialisation and intra-regional trade, thereby boosting economic expansion in Africa. A strong supporter of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), Afreximbank has launched a Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) that was adopted by the African Union (AU) as the payment and settlement platform to underpin the implementation of the AfCFTA. Working with the AfCFTA Secretariat and the AU, the Bank has set up a US$10 billion Adjustment Fund to support countries effectively participating in the AfCFTA. At the end of December 2025, Afreximbank's total assets and contingencies stood at over US$48.5 billion, and its shareholder funds amounted to US$8.4 billion. Afreximbank has investment grade ratings assigned by China Chengxin International Credit Rating Co., Ltd (CCXI) (AAA), GCR (A), Japan Credit Rating Agency (JCR) (A-), Moody's (Baa2) and S&P Global Ratings (BBB+). The Bank is headquartered in Cairo, Egypt.

For more information, visit: www.Afreximbank.com

Media files

Download logo
Facebook Comments

About

Share