Angolan President João Lourenço opened the 2025 edition of the Angola Oil & Gas (AOG) conference in Luanda today, offering a clear vision for the next era of the country’s hydrocarbon-led development. Underscoring the role oil and gas development has played in the country’s transformation, President Lourenço emphasized that these resources will continue to strengthen the Angolan economy for years to come.
“The oil sector has been instrumental for the growth of our country. Exploration and production of natural resources has contributed to the improvement of the living conditions of the people of Angola. Angola provides investment conditions that ensure contract, stability, legal certainty and investment durability. Cooperation between private and public sector, between international companies and local partners, will be key for achieving our aspirations,” stated President Lourenço.
Taking place on the eve of Angola’s 50 years of independence celebration, AOG 2025 recognizes the catalyzing role oil and gas have played in the country’s development, offering a strategic dealmaking platform that will lay the foundation for the next 50 years of growth.
“Five decades ago, the Angolan people fought for their right to sovereignty. Along the years, the oil sector has been fundamental for the economy and the development of our country. This a moment for us to celebrate but also reflect, looking at how we can use our resource more effectively and striking the balance between economic growth, social justice and environmental protection,” President Lourenço said.
AOG comes as Angola celebrates a series of industry milestones in 2025, as companies take concrete steps towards enhancing crude production, driving non-associated gas development and opening new frontiers across the oil and gas value chain. Upstream, the country started production at the Agogo FPSO, the Begonia oilfield and the CLOV Phase 3 Developments. A gas discovery was made at Block 1/14 in the Lower Congo basin while exploration campaigns kicked off across almost all of the country’s onshore and offshore basins.
“Our current actions are directed towards mitigating production decline and keeping output above one million bpd. Since the last conference, we have concluded several activities. We started activities at the Agogo project as well as developments in Block 17 and 17/06. Complementing these activities is exploration in new basins. Another important project is the Kaminho development,” stated Diamantino Azevedo, Minister of Mineral Resources, Petroleum and Gas, Angola.
On the downstream side, Angola started production at the Cabinda Refinery on September 1, 2025. The facility adds 30,000 barrels per day in its first phase, doubling output in the second phase. The project is Angola’s second operational oil refinery and will play a major part in reducing refined imports and enhancing fuel security.
“We continue with the development of the Lobito refinery while we assess the feasibility of the Soyo project. These position Angola as a new regional center for oil. We have also improved the legislation for local participation in the industry. The commitment is to widen partnerships and create value for the people of Angola,” Minister Azevedo added.
