Angola Overview

Angola: Rising African Giant

President João Lourenço has been reinvigorating the Angolan economy with long-awaited reforms, and the hydrocarbons industry, the anchor of the Angolan market, has been revitalised by his policies. The new National Oil, Gas and Biofuels Agency (ANPG) has replaced the NOC as the concessionaire, increasing investor confidence with an unbiased regulator. At Sonangol, the Regeneration Program is refocusing the NOC’s activities on the petroleum industry, with widespread asset divestment.

Holding steady as Africa’s second-largest oil producer, Angola is aiming to stimulate upstream investment with new incentives for marginal field development and exploration work. In 2019, Total’s Kaombo project saw its second FPSO come on stream in Block 32, and  Eni made its fifth commercial discovery in a year in Block 15/06. The ANPG is set to auction an additional 55 oil and gas blocks through 2025 with the aim of replacing the country’s reserves.

While the sub-Saharan country was hit hard by the oil price drop, the government’s economic and investment reforms received the endorsement of the IMF in the form of a USD 3.7-billion financing programme in December 2018. Meanwhile, Angola continues to strive to balance the need for foreign investment with the demand for local content. In October 2020, a presidential decree to support local content was published.

A new push to increase local refining capacity and electrification is boosting the downstream sector. Sonangol plans to construct two refineries – one in Cabinda and the other in Lobito – to help meet rising demand. The government plans to double the country’s installed power capacity by 2022 and reach 60% electrification by 2025.

The Oil & Gas Year Angola 2019 was produced in partnership with the Ministry of Mineral Resources and Petroleum, the ANPG, PwC, AmCham Angola, and the Association of Service Providers of the Angolan Oil & Gas Industry.