VUKA Group, through its media partner ESI Africa, is proud to announce the 5th Annual Southern Africa Oil & Gas Conference (SAOGC 2026), taking place 16–17 March 2026 at the Century City Convention Centre, Cape Town, South Africa.
This strategic conference provides insights into the region’s emerging oil and gas opportunities and offers a platform to connect with policymakers, operators, and industry leaders across Southern Africa.
Why this conference matters:
The Southern African energy landscape faces a global climate crisis, electricity supply challenges, and persistent energy shortages, all of which impact economic growth. Recent gas discoveries across the region, however, are poised to reshape the energy landscape and create new growth opportunities.
Key regional impacts of gas discoveries include:
- Reducing dependency on imports and coal – South Africa’s offshore gas fields present opportunities to reduce reliance on coal and imports, supported by new infrastructure and legislation.
- Establishing regional energy hubs – Mozambique’s natural gas reserves are positioning the country as a major LNG exporter, while Namibia’s Orange Basin discoveries could transform it into a key regional oil and gas hub.
- Diversifying energy use through gas-to-power – Indigenous gas integration into power, transport, and industrial sectors is a cornerstone of a just energy transition.
- Driving socio-economic development – Accelerating the development of these resources is expected to create jobs, build capacity, and support broader regional economic growth.
ESI Africa, as VUKA Group’s media partner, is supporting this initiative to showcase the region’s energy frontier and ensure maximum exposure for both the conference and participating stakeholders.
For more insights on the Southern Africa Oil & Gas Conference and developments shaping the regional energy sector, visit ESI Africa.
Africa Fact: In around 300 BC, the Sudanese invented a writing script that had twenty-three letters of which four were vowels and there was also a word divider. Hundreds of ancient texts have survived that were in this script. Some are on display in the British Museum.
Hang 11
While studying to be a CA, Nicholas Bell developed a merchandising app for SAB (South African Breweries), once he built one solution, he quickly acquired more clients and by the time he was preparing to do his articles, SAB gave him a three-year deal as part of their merchandising programme. At 22, while still living with his parents, his first business comprising four people had a turnover of R700 000. By the second year, turnover grew to R1.6 million. After six years, his turnover was R21 million, he employed 25 people with clients including Simba, Harmony, ArcelorMittal, SAB, and Sibanye Gold. Eight years later, Bell hit R100 million, then pivoted the business to ensure they couldn\’t be disrupted. He implemented an investor-led strategy, which will see the business doing 40% of its work offshore with a R500 million turnover in five years.