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The nominees for the African Energy Week (AEW) 2026 recognize the companies, projects and individuals driving innovation, investment and growth across Africa's energy sector. Featuring 12 categories spanning the full energy value chain, the awards celebrate the achievements shaping the continent's energy future.

Winners will be announced during the AEW 2026 Gala Dinner & Awards Ceremony, taking place on Tuesday, October 13, in Cape Town. The ceremony will bring together ministers, industry leaders, investors and technology providers to recognize excellence in upstream, downstream, gas, power, local content, technology and corporate leadership.

African Service Provider of the Year

• GeoEnergy Group – for advancing digital transformation through the Egypt Upstream Gateway while strengthening local technical expertise across Africa.
• One Titanium – for delivering specialized services supporting Africa's energy industry.
• KAESO – for expanding indigenous engineering and technical services across African markets.
• SONILS – for strengthening logistics and supply chain services for integrated energy projects.
• NIPEX – for enhancing procurement and local supplier participation in Nigeria's oil and gas sector.

International Service Provider of the Year

• NOV – for supporting major energy developments with advanced engineering and equipment solutions.
• Geoex MCG – for nearly two decades of supporting Equatorial Guinea's offshore exploration through seismic data acquisition and licensing support.
• Africa Global Logistics – for expanding integrated logistics solutions supporting energy projects across Africa.
• Technip Energies – for delivering engineering expertise across major African energy developments.
• SBM Offshore – for advancing offshore production through industry-leading FPSO solutions.
• SLB – for deploying advanced technologies and technical services across Africa's upstream sector.

Local Content Champion (African Companies)

• Seplat Energy – for maintaining a 98% Nigerian workforce while investing in local talent development and procurement.
• Copia Group of Companies – for strengthening indigenous participation across Angola's energy value chain.
• Renaissance Africa Energy – for expanding Nigerian ownership and local participation in upstream operations.
• Cabship – for growing Angolan maritime and offshore services through locally driven operations.

Local Content Champion (International Companies)

• TotalEnergies Uganda – for developing the Tilenga Academy to train Uganda's future oil and gas workforce.
• NOV – for supporting local skills development and supplier participation across African markets.
• Woodside Energy – for advancing local workforce development through its African operations.
• Africa Global Logistics – for building African logistics capacity through local employment, training and supplier development.

E&P Leader of the Year

• Shell – for the Merlin-1X discovery in Namibia and the Velox-1X discovery offshore Egypt, reinforcing its exploration leadership.
• Renaissance Africa Energy & NNPCL – for the JK-004 discovery in Nigeria's OML 74, confirming multiple hydrocarbon-bearing reservoirs.
• Murphy Oil – for the Bubale-1X light oil discovery offshore Côte d'Ivoire in Block CI-709.
• Eni – for major discoveries in Côte d'Ivoire and Angola that expanded Africa's offshore resource base.
• OMV & Libya's National Oil Corporation – for the Eassar commercial oil discovery in Libya's Sirte Basin.

Downstream & Infrastructure Leader of the Year

• Dangote Refinery – for transforming Nigeria's refining capacity and reducing dependence on imported fuels.
• Cabinda Oil Refinery – for expanding Angola's domestic refining capacity as part of its downstream growth strategy.
• East African Crude Oil Pipeline – for advancing one of Africa's largest cross-border energy infrastructure projects.
• African Atlantic Gas Pipeline – for progressing a strategic regional gas corridor linking West Africa with Morocco and Europe.

Deal of the Year

• Trafigura – for its $1 billion oil prepayment agreement with the Republic of Gabon.
• Levene Energies – for acquiring a 30% stake in Axxela through the Bluecore consortium, strengthening indigenous ownership.
• Heirs Energies – for acquiring a 20.07% stake in Seplat Energy in a landmark African-led transaction.
• UTM FLNG – for advancing Nigeria's first floating LNG project through a major multi-party development agreement.

CSR Project of the Year

• Mozambique LNG – for supporting flood recovery efforts benefiting approximately 190,000 people in southern Mozambique.
• South African National Petroleum Company – for expanding STEM education through its Axium STEMI initiative in the Eastern Cape.
• Kosmos Energy Ghana – for empowering entrepreneurs through the Kosmos Innovation Center.
• Sonangol – for supporting youth entrepreneurship through its SonaJovem program.
• Eni – for expanding clean cooking initiatives across Africa.
• Oando Foundation – for improving education through its Adopt-A-School Initiative in Nigeria.

Gas Monetization Award

• Levene Energies – for advancing gas commercialization and infrastructure-led industrial development.
• NOV APL Norway – for supporting the Nguya FLNG project and expanding offshore LNG production in Congo.
• Congo LNG – for advancing the Tango and Nguya FLNG projects to strengthen the Republic of Congo's LNG industry.
• Amufert – for developing Angola's flagship ammonia and urea project utilizing domestic natural gas.

Technology Innovator

• TotalEnergies – for developing the SUBLIIM digital platform to optimize subsea field layouts.
• SOLA Group – for reaching financial close on South Africa's largest private hybrid solar and battery storage project.
• Shearwater – for deploying its Pearl ocean-bottom node technology during its first commercial survey in Angola.
• TGS & Starlink – for redefining seismic data transfer through satellite-enabled connectivity.

Power Africa Developer

• TotalEnergies – for inaugurating Africa's largest hybrid renewable energy project.
• Siemens Energy – for expanding gas turbine and grid infrastructure supporting Africa's growing power demand.
• Globeleq – for growing its renewable energy portfolio across wind, solar, geothermal and battery storage.
• Infinity Power – for expanding one of Africa's largest renewable energy development portfolios.E

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Chamber.

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The Zayed Sustainability Prize will host a flagship session at the Future Economies Forum during African Energy Week (AEW) 2026, taking place from October 12–16 in Cape Town. The "From Power to Position: Energy, Industry and Sovereignty in Africa's Next Economy" discussion will examine how Africa converts proven innovation into bankable industrial investment.

For more than 20 years, the Zayed Sustainability Prize has funded technologies and supported innovators operating in some of the world's most resource-constrained environments. The model is simple: demonstrate measurable impact first, reduce investment risk second and unlock larger pools of private and public capital thereafter.

That approach directly addresses one of Africa's biggest investment challenges. The continent holds an estimated 850 TW of theoretical wind and solar potential, enough to reshape global energy markets. Yet only a fraction of that resource has attracted commercial financing, despite competitive renewable economics and abundant natural resources.

Investment momentum is building. Masdar and Africa50 are advancing a $10 billion initiative targeting 10 GW of renewable capacity by 2030, while projects including Egypt's 10 GW wind development and Morocco's planned $27.2 billion, 6 GW green hydrogen complex demonstrate growing industrial ambition.

The session will also examine the capital flowing into Africa's digital infrastructure. The continent currently represents only 0.6%–1% of global data center capacity, yet more than 500 MW is operational and another 890 MW is under development. South Africa's AI data centre market alone is projected to expand from $99.37 million in 2026 to $572.63 million by 2031, reflecting a 41.95% CAGR.

These investments illustrate a broader lesson. AI infrastructure has attracted substantial capital because demand is clear, projects are commercially validated and revenue models are understood. Africa's clean energy opportunity requires the same progression – from proven innovation to investor confidence – before financing can scale.

“This session gets to the heart of Africa's investment challenge. The Zayed Sustainability Prize has spent more than two decades proving that innovation must earn confidence before it attracts capital, and that's the mindset Africa needs to transform its immense clean energy potential into industrial growth, energy sovereignty and globally competitive economies,” says NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman, African Energy Chamber.

The session reinforces AEW 2026's broader focus on turning Africa's energy resources into long-term economic value. Rather than asking whether capital exists, the discussion is set to examine how proven innovation, effective policy and strategic partnerships can ensure it flows into projects that advance the continent's industrial ambitions.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Chamber.