Eugene Okpere, Executive Vice President for Exploration, Strategy and Portfolio in Shell's Integrated Gas and Upstream division, is confirmed to speak at the Angola Oil & Gas (AOG) 2026 Conference and Exhibition, scheduled for September in Luanda.
The announcement carries considerable weight. Okpere's participation follows Shell's re-entry into Angola's upstream market in 2025 and a subsequent exploration agreement spanning three deepwater blocks, a strategic move projected to mobilise approximately $1 billion in new investment.
Shell's comeback ends a 20-year absence from Angola's upstream sector, and industry observers regard it as a powerful vote of confidence in the country's deepwater potential. Angola, Africa's third-largest oil producer, has been working aggressively to reverse a prolonged slide in crude output pushing a $60 billion upstream investment drive between 2025 and 2030 through its national regulator, the National Oil, Gas and Biofuels Agency (ANPG).
Shell's re-engagement is widely seen as one of the most significant individual commitments secured under that national strategy.
Shell has wasted no time in assembling an Angolan deepwater portfolio. In January 2026, the company concluded a farm-in agreement to acquire a 35% stake in two deepwater blocks from Chevron, following an earlier deal struck at the 2025 AOG conference for Block 33/24.
A separate November 2025 agreement granted Shell exclusive exploration rights at Blocks 19, 34 and 39, in partnership with Equinor and Sonangol. These assets sit in the ultra-deepwaters of the Kwanza Basin, adjacent to existing commercial discoveries raising the prospects of viable new hydrocarbon finds.
The $1 billion earmarked for these blocks is intended to fund seismic surveys and drilling activity World Oil, with technical and operational studies expected to guide the timing of the upcoming exploration phase.
Shell's technical experience in frontier deepwater environments including its recent offshore work in Namibia positions the company as a credible and capable operator for Angola's complex subsea terrain.
Okpere's AOG appearance arrives at a pivotal moment: both for Angola as it hunts for new discoveries to stabilise production, and for Shell as it broadens its African exploration footprint. The conference will serve as a high-profile venue for Shell to engage government officials, joint venture partners, and service sector players on the road ahead.
Angola's upstream regulator has rolled out a series of regulatory reforms and licensing incentives to draw international oil companies back into the market and Shell's multi-block, multi-partner strategy reflects the kind of long-term capital commitment that Luanda has been courting.
With one of Africa's most experienced deepwater operators now firmly back in Angola's fold, all eyes will be on what Okpere signals from the AOG 2026 stage in September.
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