The industry-wide boycott of the upcoming Africa Energies Summit will continue as the conference organizers Frontier Energy Network refuse to abandon their policy of discrimination.
The Mozambique oil industry alongside petroleum ministers from the African Petroleum Producers Organization have already withdrawn from the conference, citing concerns over the treatment of Black professionals and broader local content issues.
With Frontier – led by Daniel Davidson- refusing to address the company’s decision to not hire Black professionals and the continued exclusion of Black voices, the African Energy Chamber (AEC) calls on the continued boycott of the event.
“Our narrative and voices matter. Any company that wants to operate in the continent with a mindset of excluding Africans will fail. That’s why Africans are staying away from Africa Energies Summit 2026 and I am pleased that the petroleum ministers I have talked to have supported us by staying away from being part of the anti-African meeting in London,” states NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman, AEC. “We thank the leadership of African ministers in their fight against this unjust behaviour.”
Frontier’s discrimination sends an important message to the industry: now, more than ever, we have to prioritize local content and continue fighting for equality, skills development and fair practices. Several large-scale projects across the continent have already embedded local content within their developments. In the Republic of Congo, Wing Wah committed to boosting local content through the development of a training centre aimed at equipping Congolese with skills to access to new jobs across the industry.
Namibia’s cabinet approved an Upstream Local Content Policy to ensure that oil operations are inclusive and Africa-focused.
The East African Crude Oil Pipeline – spearheaded by TotalEnergies and China National Offshore Oil Corporation – has taken a holistic approach to local content by prioritizing three pillars: employment and training, procurement of local goods and ser- vices and proposals for technology transfer and capacity building. Recent industry moves reflect the impact of local content in Africa, with African entrepreneurs buying IOC assets. Oando acquired operatorship of Angola’s Block KON 13. Renaissance Africa Energy Holdings acquired Shell’s Nigerian assets. These highlight a growing trend of IOC-trained entrepreneurs taking over projects.
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