Angola’s ANPG begins a new cycle to prepare for the future of energy

Angola

Nicola Mvuayi, executive director of the National Oil, Gas and Biofuels Agency, Angola’s national concessionaire and oil and gas regulator, writes about the agency’s rebranding and strategic pivot to incorporate midstream gas activities and attracting upstream investments amid rising global competition for capital.

Angola has an average oil production of 1.1 million barrels per day, making it the second-largest oil producer in Sub-Saharan Africa, after Nigeria. The country had 34 million inhabitants and an estimated GDP of 129 billion kwanzas [USD 141.3 million] in 2025, according to the National Institute of Statistics.

The consistency of the regulatory framework and an industry with more than six decades of history have attracted international majors such as TotalEnergies, Chevron, Azule Energy (a joint venture between BP and Eni), ExxonMobil, Equinor and Shell, as well as new mid-sized and small players, to operate alongside the national oil company, Sonangol.

It is in this context that the National Oil, Gas and Biofuels Agency (ANPG), which was created in 2019 as a result of the sector reform initiated in 2017 to give the industry greater dynamism, plays its role in attracting investors, under a new brand since February 2026.

Throughout this period, the institution has focused on strengthening Angola’s regulatory credibility, resumed licensing rounds after several years of hiatus and created better conditions for attracting investment. This journey has also translated into concrete results, such as the award of new concessions, increased exploration activity and the mitigation of the natural decline in production.

More than 70 new blocks have been awarded to various investors over the past seven years, bringing the total of assigned blocks from 20 in 2019 to more than 90 in 2026. Total investment in the sector also increased, reaching approximately USD 15 billion in 2025, with around USD 70 billion projected for the next five years. As for exploration activity, more than 30 wells have been drilled, bringing discoveries to help mitigate the natural decline of hydrocarbon resources and reserves.

Angola’s gas law, Law No. 7/18, established a legal and fiscal regime for natural gas exploration in the country and drove the sanctioning of the first non-associated gas project, which began production in March 2026.

A new strategic cycle

The global energy sector is undergoing a profound transformation. Today, there is greater competition for capital, and markets have higher environmental requirements, a greater diversity of energy sources, and growing pressure for efficiency, transparency and predictability.

Faced with this new context, ANPG is beginning a new strategic cycle, with a new brand that combines the continued dynamisation of the sector with a commitment to diversifying Angola’s energy matrix. Until now, the institution was the concession holder, regulator and supervisor of the oil and gas upstream sector, but in light of Presidential Decree No. 73/26, of 22 April, the ANPG now also brings vitality to the midstream sector of the natural gas chain.

Priorities also include attracting more national and international investment to decarbonise the industry, accelerating the development of natural gas, supporting energy diversification – including biofuels – and strengthening the commitment to sustainability and international best practices. ANPG thus intends to consolidate a sector that is more competitive, modern and prepared for present and future challenges.

Expression of the new brand

ANPG marks this new cycle of momentum towards energy diversification – which coincides with its seventh year of existence – with a new institutional identity, reflecting the role of the regulatory institution within an energy industry undergoing constant change and technological innovation. It is aligned with the transformation of the global energy industry and with Angola’s ambition to compete and thrive on an international scale with an integrated energy matrix.

The new identity therefore reflects the diversity of energy sources the country has the potential to produce, across the areas now under ANPG’s responsibility – namely oil, gas and biofuels – drawing on the expertise of the human capital that the country and the industry have been building over the 50 years of national independence.

ANPG’s new brand aims to bring an integrated vision of the energy future, modernity and institutional openness, the capacity for dialogue with global investors and stakeholders and a strengthening of Angola’s international positioning.

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