DRC to present oil and gas investment opportunities at AEW 2026

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is seeking to accelerate development of its hydrocarbons industry, with Minister of State for Hydrocarbons Acacia Bandubola Mbongo due to present the country's oil and gas agenda at African Energy Week (AEW) 2026 in Cape Town.

In a September 18 press release, the African Energy Chamber (AEC), which is organising the event, said the minister would engage international investors and industry stakeholders on the sector's development.

The DRC has been working to improve the infrastructure and information needed to support exploration and investment. In July, Bandubola inaugurated the country's first national petroleum and gas data bank in Kinshasa. According to the AEC, the platform is intended to centralise geological and petroleum information and make it more accessible to companies considering investment.

Exploration is also a priority, says the chamber. On September 15, Bandubola chaired discussions on accelerating development of oil blocks 1 and 2 in the Albertine Graben area in eastern DRC. The government has been seeking to advance exploration and potential development of the acreage.

At the same time, Kinshasa is seeking technical cooperation with other African producers. In May, Bandubola signed an agreement with Algeria's energy minister covering cooperation in hydrocarbon exploration and production, technical expertise and petroleum data. The partnership is intended to give the DRC access to experience and expertise as the country develops its own petroleum sector.

The government is also pursuing downstream projects to improve fuel supply in three provinces. Plans outlined by the hydrocarbons ministry earlier this year include additional storage and distribution infrastructure, aimed at strengthening fuel supply systems across the country.

The DRC is also taking a larger role in regional petroleum cooperation. Bandubola is vice-president of the African Petroleum Producers’ Organization (APPO) for 2026, with the DRC due to assume the organisation’s presidency in November.

“The DRC has an enormous opportunity to build a stronger domestic oil and gas industry, but realizing that potential requires more than resources underground. It requires credible data, infrastructure, technical expertise and investment partnerships that can turn geological potential into productive assets and economic opportunity,” said AEC’s executive chairman NJ Ayuk. “Acacia Bandubola Mbongo’s participation comes at an important moment as the country works to put those building blocks in place and engage investors on the opportunities emerging across its hydrocarbons sector.”

The government faces the challenge of turning prospective oil and gas resources into commercially viable projects while building the infrastructure and technical capacity needed to support a larger industry. Africa is well endowed with energy resources, but the harder task is ensuring that future investment delivers more lasting economic benefits within producing countries.

According to NewsBase Horizon, a dedicated advisory division of NewsBase, creating stronger partnerships with experienced producers, improving access to geological information and developing supporting infrastructure could help reduce barriers to exploration and create a clearer path from resource potential to production in the DRC.