Sierra Leone will put its offshore oil and gas potential before global investors at African Energy Week (AEW) 2026, with the Petroleum Directorate of Sierra Leone (PDSL) participating in a series of upstream discussions and technical sessions during the October 12–16 gathering in Cape Town.
By Ajong Mbapndah L
Africa Energy Partners (AEP), an official partner of AEW 2026 and strategic partner to PDSL, announced the Directorate’s schedule for the event, highlighting a program that will put Sierra Leone’s exploration opportunities before international operators, investors and industry leaders.
According to AEP, PDSL Director General Foday Mansaray will participate in the Upstream E&P Forum on Tuesday, October 13, joining senior exploration leaders from TotalEnergies, Apus Energy, Woodside Energy and Chevron for a discussion on capital, policy and technology for frontier basin development.
The session, “Africa’s Next Exploration Cycle,” is scheduled for 12:45–13:30 and will provide Sierra Leone with an opportunity to position its offshore prospects within the wider conversation about Africa’s next generation of exploration opportunities.
Later that day, Sierra Leone will receive a dedicated spotlight during “The Drill Room – Oil and Gas Investment Opportunities in Sierra Leone.” PDSL Petroleum Geoscientist Ishmael Momoh is scheduled to deliver an above-ground information and technical showcase focused specifically on the country’s oil and gas investment opportunities.
Running from 15:55–16:25, the session is expected to give prospective investors a closer look at Sierra Leone’s petroleum sector, geological potential and the technical information available to companies considering entry into the basin.
Mansaray will continue Sierra Leone’s engagement on Wednesday, October 14, when he participates in an invitation-only NOC and IOC roundtable. According to AEP, the closed-door discussion will focus on collaboration between governments, national oil companies, international operators and independents to accelerate upstream development.
Sierra Leone heads to Cape Town as it steps up efforts to convert growing international interest in its offshore basin into exploration commitments and investment.
With TGS serving as a data provider to Sierra Leone, companies evaluating the basin have access to an extensive portfolio of subsurface data to support their assessment of the country’s offshore exploration potential.
Sierra Leone’s offshore basin has recorded discoveries including Venus-B1, Mercury-1, Jupiter-1 and Savannah-1X, but remains comparatively underexplored. The government has increasingly promoted that combination of existing discoveries and untapped acreage as an opportunity for companies willing to invest in frontier exploration.
The country has also registered increased upstream activity and investor engagement in recent years. International and independent players including Eni, Shell, Marginal Energy and FA Oil have featured in Sierra Leone’s expanding petroleum landscape as the government seeks to build a stronger pipeline of exploration activity.
AEP has played a prominent role in that investment drive. As a strategic partner to PDSL, the company has worked to promote Sierra Leone’s upstream proposition internationally and connect the Directorate with potential investors and operators.
At AEW 2026, AEP said it will be in Cape Town throughout the week supporting PDSL and promoting Sierra Leone’s upstream investment proposition to the international market.
The company is encouraging operators, investors and other industry stakeholders attending AEW to engage with its team on Sierra Leone’s current upstream opportunities and the technical data available for evaluating the basin.
For Sierra Leone, the Cape Town gathering offers another important platform to move beyond promoting geological potential and deepen conversations around capital, partnerships and exploration activity.
With PDSL presenting both the policy and technical sides of the country’s upstream proposition, and AEP supporting its international investment outreach, Sierra Leone will arrive at AEW 2026 with a clear objective: put its offshore opportunities in front of companies capable of turning exploration potential into investment and drilling activity.
