“The first pillar of our strategy is to look at current reserves to sustain production. Our second is to attract investment to the country through the annual licensing rounds and direct negotiations. This allows us to plan ahead and determine where we’re going to invest. The third pillar is to present, not only one portfolio, but balanced exploration portfolios to investors - from deepwater to shallow water to onshore,” shared Lúmen Sebastião, Director of Exploration, ANPG.

Angola’s national oil company Sonangol is at the heart of this strategy, with its diverse exploration and production portfolio, commitment to partnerships and growth-oriented strategy set to unlock greater reserves in Angola. Producing upwards of 200,000 barrels per day (bpd), Sonangol has leveraged strategic partnerships with international operators to cement its stronghold in the deepwater market.

“Partnerships in the oil and gas industry are extremely important. We give value to any type of partnerships, because we have been able to absorb new technologies from these partnerships. We have had a lot of growth in terms of knowledge, processing and activities related to exploration,” said Alda Agostinho, Director of Exploration, Sonangol.

The ANPG’s strategy has already yielded strong results, with major players achieving a series of production milestones in recent months. TotalEnergies brought 60,000 bpd online in 2025 and is leading the first large deepwater development in the Kwanza Basin – the Kaminho project. The company has also signed a deal with ExxonMobil to evaluate the Free Areas of Blocks 17/06 and 32/21 in 2025.  

“This new deal with ExxonMobil aims to make better use of the installations we have by using our technical teams to deploy more technology. We know the prospects that we have and we want to make use of new technologies to determine what reserves still exist. The results we are seeing will give more clarity to the team to search for more oil,” stated Rui Rodrigues, Block 20 Asset Director, TotalEnergies.

Chevron has also expanded its presence in Angola’s deepwater basins in recent months, striving to unlock additional resources in proven acreage. In 2024, the company signed Risk Service Contracts for ultra-deepwater Block 49 and 50, situated in the Lower Congo Basin, and has expanded its Block 15 license.

“At Block 15, we have extended the license to 2045, reflecting our commitment to that block. We are also getting ready to move into the next phase through our recently signed agreements for Block 49 and 50. We want to be a pioneer in deepwaters and build on our long-term partnerships in Angola,” stated Cesaltino Pedro, SEED & Performance Manager, Chevron.

ExxonMobil is leading frontier exploration in Angola’s Namibe basin – a largely unexplored frontier with significant potential. According to Richard Barke, South Atlantic Exploration Manager, ExxonMobil, “The deepwater is risky, so we need to look at three things: people, the data and the technology. We invest in people and develop them across a range of basins and geologies. Having access to the data and previous evaluations is key. If you want ideas, you need to make the data available. Technology has also unlocked deepwater potential. We are only just beginning to understand what AI can do for us.”

Active in Angola since the 1980s, Oceaneering has a proven track record of delivering innovative oilfield services. The company offers a number of solutions, from remotely operated vehicles and remote operations to diving services to asset integrity and inspection to vessel management, engineering, machining and fabrication.

Leo Granato, Senior Vice President, Integrity Management and Digital Solutions, Oceaneering, said that, as a company, they are “focusing on more data, more AI and machine learning so that we can make decisions faster, arrive to conclusions and plan our investments.”