Wood Mackenzie Confirms Participation as Silver Partner at African Energy Week 2025

Strategic Insights -

Wood Mackenzie, a leading global energy and consultancy group, has reaffirmed its commitment to Africa's energy narrative through its participation as a Silver Partner at African Energy Week (AEW): Invest in African Energies 2025. With over five decades of global experience, the firm has worked extensively with national governments and state-owned energy companies to develop long-term energy strategies, evaluate exploration potential, and structure critical infrastructure projects. Wood Mackenzie's recent contributions include supporting the Republic of Congo's first Gas Master Plan, developed in partnership with the Ministry of Hydrocarbons.

Key Takeaways:

  • Wood Mackenzie has confirmed its participation as a Silver Partner at African Energy Week (AEW): Invest in African Energies 2025, scheduled for September 29 to October 3 in Cape Town.
  • The firm has worked extensively with national governments and state-owned energy companies to develop long-term energy strategies, evaluate exploration potential, and structure critical infrastructure projects.
  • Recent contributions by Wood Mackenzie include supporting the Republic of Congo's first Gas Master Plan, developed in partnership with the Ministry of Hydrocarbons.
  • The plan aims to guide monetization, domestic use, and export strategies for gas resources and is anchored by developments such as the Marine XII LNG project, which delivered its first cargo in early 2025 and is progressing toward a 3.5-billion-cubic-meter-per-year expansion phase.
  • Africa's upstream capital expenditure is expected to stabilize around $40 billion annually, with significant activity in gas and LNG-led developments.
  • New discoveries in Namibia, Zimbabwe, Ivory Coast, and Libya, combined with major finds by Shell in Namibia's Orange Basin, underscore the continent's rising profile in global exploration.
  • Wood Mackenzie is also spearheading thought leadership on Africa's energy transition, forecasting that the continent's electricity demand will double by 2050, while bioenergy's share in residential and commercial energy demand will decline from 81% to 70% in a base scenario.
  • Africa will contribute just 3-6% of global emissions by 2050, emphasizing the importance of a balanced energy mix that includes oil and gas.
  • Solar additions in Africa dropped to 3.5 GW in 2024, down from 4 GW the previous year, with South Africa leading deployment.
  • Sub-Saharan Africa's oil and gas production grew by 5%, driven by output gains in Nigeria, Mozambique, Senegal, and the Republic of Congo.
  • Wood Mackenzie will be represented by a senior delegation at AEW: Invest in African Energies 2025, including Mansur Mohammed, Gavin Thompson, David Parkinson, and Ian Thom.

Statistics:

  • Africa's upstream capital expenditure is expected to stabilize around $40 billion annually.
  • New discoveries in Namibia, Zimbabwe, Ivory Coast, and Libya have underscored the continent's rising profile in global exploration.
  • Africa's electricity demand is expected to double by 2050.
  • Bioenergy's share in residential and commercial energy demand will decline from 81% to 70% in a base scenario.
  • Africa will contribute just 3-6% of global emissions by 2050.
  • Solar additions in Africa dropped to 3.5 GW in 2024, down from 4 GW the previous year.
  • Sub-Saharan Africa's oil and gas production grew by 5% in the latest period.

Sources:

  • APO Group, "African Energy Week: Wood Mackenzie Confirms Participation as Silver Partner"
  • African Energy Week, "AEW: Invest in African Energies 2025"
  • Wood Mackenzie, "2025 Energy Transition Outlook: Africa"