Energy majors including TotalEnergies, Chevron, bp, and Woodside Energy have called for faster permitting systems and improved seismic data to unlock Africa’s untapped oil and gas resources, according to the African Energy Chamber.
The call came during Africa Energy Week (AEW): Invest in African Energies 2025 in Cape Town, where industry leaders said Africa’s frontier basins hold vast potential that remains underexplored due to slow approvals and limited data.
Emmanuelle Garinet, Vice President for Exploration Africa at TotalEnergies, said the continent’s frontier basins could yield significant discoveries if supported by modern seismic imaging and efficient regulatory processes.
According to Garinet, Namibia’s Venus discovery proved how advanced subsurface data can reduce exploration risk. “When the Venus well was drilled, it was considered frontier, yet seismic data and hydrocarbon indicators gave a probability of success above 50%,” the executive noted.
Garinet added that TotalEnergies’ experience in the Republic of Congo shows how streamlined approval processes can accelerate investment. The company secured a new exploration permit in less than six months and expects to begin drilling before the end of the year. In contrast, delays in South Africa’s permitting process, caused by legal challenges, were described as “unacceptable” given the global competition for exploration capital.
Chevron CEO Gavin Lewis emphasized that Africa’s progress depends on stronger subsurface datasets that support technology-driven exploration. Lewis explained that artificial intelligence and advanced workflows require robust regional datasets that illuminate geological structures. “Africa has lost the ability to sponsor large, multi-client datasets. The Gulf of Mexico stands out as a basin that has reinvented itself repeatedly because of data availability,” Lewis said, according to the Chamber.
bp’s Vice President of Exploration, Bryan Ritchie, also pointed to the value of improved seismic imaging. In Egypt’s Nile Delta, bp recently completed the first deepwater ocean-bottom node seismic survey over the Atoll field. The Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company now plans to extend data coverage across a wider area, expanding opportunities for new discoveries.
Beyond oil and gas, Woodside Energy’s Vice President of Exploration, Terry Gebhardt, said advanced geoscience and subsurface data are equally vital for carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects and for increasing efficiency in mature fields. This integration of technology, according to the panel, underscores the role of data in both energy transition and resource optimization.
The discussion, sponsored by EnerGeo Alliance, highlighted renewed momentum in Africa’s upstream sector. Nikki Martin, President and CEO of EnerGeo Alliance, said capital expenditure in African oil and gas is projected to reach $54 billion by 2030, following a $6 billion increase in exploration spending in 2024.
Speakers agreed that faster permitting, access to high-quality seismic data, and regional collaboration could position Africa for a new exploration phase, enhancing energy security, investment inflows, and economic growth across the continent.
Source: African Energy Chamber
