The global energy transition is being driven by political, corporate and civil society in pursuit of the goals set by the international community to decarbonise globally. The energy industry is seeing Oil & Gas majors recalibrate their strategies and business models to a lower carbon energy system.
With a rising demand for the services that energy provides due to a growing population – many in Africa (600-800 million people) who remain without access to modern cheap reliable energy – the developing world must be able to responsibly create long-term social and economic value by efficiently optimising the potential of their natural resources.
The Africa Oil & Gas industry is in the early stages of the same operator transition that the North Sea and the Gulf of Mexico have gone through with assets being transferred from majors to independents. IOCs are looking to responsibly exit out of assets which are either late life, not material or have a high carbon footprint.
Whilst the developed world is seeking to deploy capital in a manner that actively supports the energy transition and lower carbon economies, developing economies currently lack the large scale capital required to support the industrial roll out of renewable technologies and remain largely reliant on traditional energy sources.
There is a growing recognition that oil and natural gas play critical roles in today’s energy and economic systems; and that affordable, reliable supplies of liquids and gas are integral to the transition to a lower carbon world.
Without a responsible Oil & Gas industry, the transformation of the energy sector will be more difficult and more expensive. If capital markets are engaged correctly, independents can help to accelerate the pace of change and reduce the impact on the environment.
There are cost-effective opportunities to bring down the emissions intensity of delivered Oil & Gas by minimising flaring of associated gas and venting of CO2, tackling methane emissions, and integrating renewables and low-carbon energy where-ever possible.
The best way to protect the climate is for investors to invest in responsible Oil & Gas companies with the imperative to reduce energy-related emissions in line with international climate targets.
The economic contribution from natural resources is fundamental to many developing economies. It is therefore essential that investments in these resources continue as these developing economies navigate their journey through the energy transition.
There is a requirement in the market for responsible, well managed independents to acquire, operate and optimise post-peak assets in Africa. This will ensure the continued socio-economic benefit from these resources as the majors exit.
Independents can leverage the local resources and skills of the industry and ensure that they play a central role in responsibly managing these assets. The continuing transfer of knowledge can play an important role in the reduction of the emissions intensity of delivered Oil & Gas.
Accessing the necessary capital to invest in the continued development of these assets responsibly will only be possible by addressing investors ESG concerns. It is necessary for responsible independents to integrate an ESG agenda into their business model and operating approach in order to effectively manage business and opportunity risk.
Africa’s strong economic growth alongside its growing population underpins our belief in the continent’s long-term Oil & Gas demand despite the structural evolution of the global energy system. We see a significant opportunity to drive responsible growth and prosperity for all stakeholders. Our strategy is simple, we only focus on proven hydrocarbon basins where fields have been discovered or are currently producing. The latent potential is therefore clear and Afentra just need’s to unleash it, quickly and economically. We pursue operatorship with a large working interest so we have control over the safety, development and investment profile of our assets.
Afentra was created to take advantage of this opportunity in the African market, emulating the successful precedents set in the Gulf of Mexico and North Sea.
See our four-stage model to discover how we implement our strategy.
Our business model is designed to mitigate geological, political and financial risks to enable Afentra to deliver sustainable returns to its shareholders in the form of capital appreciation and dividends when appropriate. We do this by focusing on discovered resources in established operating jurisdictions, alongside credible partners, and by maintaining a stable balance sheet, underpinned by low-risk cash flow.