Leading the dialogue on Africa’s energy sector opportunities, Amena Bakr, Senior Research Analyst at Energy Intelligence, will serve as the Master of Ceremonies at the upcoming African Energy Week (AEW): Invest in African Energy 2024 conference – the official meeting place for Africa’s energy sector. As a global information provider, Energy Intelligence provides research, data and analysis covering the energy transition, oil, gas and LNG markets, and above-ground and geopolitical risks shaping the sector.

With over 15 years of experience in the energy sector, Bakr leads analysis and client engagement on oil markets, OPEC policy, political trends and risk assessments in the Middle East and Gulf region, as well as examines corporate and investment strategies. Prior to her role within the Research & Advisory Group at Energy Intelligence, Bakr was the company’s Chief OPEC Correspondent and Dubai Deputy Bureau Chief, where she received several international journalism awards for her work covering energy news and analysis, as well as served as an Energy Correspondent for Reuters. With OPEC+ recently extending production cuts into 2025 – set to impact six African countries who are members of the alliance, as well as global oil supplies – framing Africa’s oil and gas prospects within a geopolitical lens will be crucial to industry-led discussions.

AEW: Invest in African Energy is the platform of choice for project operators, financiers, technology providers and government, and has emerged as the official place to sign deals in African energy. Visit www.AECWeek.com for more information about this exciting event.

As countries like Mozambique, Senegal and Mauritania launch new upstream projects, Africa’s role on the global oil and gas stage is expanding, coupled with gas monetization campaigns from mature producers like Nigeria, Angola and the Republic of Congo. As global demand for fossil fuels evolves, African countries must strike a balance between benefiting from their vast hydrocarbon resources and transitioning toward sustainable energy development. Moderated by Bakr, AEW: Invest in African Energy 2024 will address this balance and the investments needed to attain long-term energy security and industrialized growth across the continent.  

Meanwhile, corporate strategies in Africa's oil and gas sector are increasingly shaped by the global energy transition and the shift toward cleaner, more sustainable energy sources. While oil and gas remain crucial to African economies, IOCs are rebalancing their long-term strategies and directing investments either to large-scale, deepwater discoveries like Namibia’s Orange Basin or viable gas plays like in the MSGBC Basin. Additionally, companies are diversifying their portfolios, incorporating renewable energy projects alongside oil and gas operations. This shift, driven by the global drive towards net-zero, will be explored at AEW 2024 through a multi-track program of panel discussions, presentations, technical forums and networking sessions.