As the world’s energy giants recalibrate their maps, Africa continues to shine as a hotspot on TotalEnergies’ radar.
A report from the African Energy Chamber, a pan-African think-tank, predicts that upstream investment across Africa will reach $41 billion in 2026, with companies such as TotalEnergies, Shell and ExxonMobil identified as potential leaders.
The continent hosts some of TotalEnergies’ most strategic assets and receives the largest share of its global exploration budget, as well as half of its operated production worldwide.
“Africa remains at the heart of our exploration strategy. The largest part of our exploration budget is in Africa, reflecting our commitment to the continent’s energy future,” Mike Sangster, Senior Vice President (Africa Exploration & Production) at TotalEnergies, said in May 2025.
From the oil‑rich waters off Nigeria and Angola to the sun‑drenched deserts of Morocco and Egypt, Africa has rapidly shifted from being a frontier to becoming the beating heart of the company’s global ambitions.
For 2026, TotalEnergies has set a global net capital expenditure (Capex) budget of $16 billion to fund operations. The company is dedicating 25% of this sum to low‑carbon energy, with the remaining $12 billion allocated to high‑margin, low‑cost projects.
According to industry estimates, Africa is expected to be the primary geographic focus for TotalEnergies in 2026. Why? Because the company is advancing multi‑billion‑dollar projects that have either been long in the works or lying dormant.
We look at some of these key projects shortly.
Namibia’s Orange Basin
TotalEnergies operates the two largest oil discoveries in Namibia’s Orange Basin.
In 2022, the company’s giant Venus discovery – one of the world’s largest offshore finds in recent times – transformed Namibia into one of the most coveted prizes. In 2024, it also assumed 40% operatorship of the nearby Mopane discovery announced by Portugal’s Galp Energia.
TotalEnergies says the strategic deal “consolidates [its] development control” in Namibia. However, the company has faced delays in advancing the Venus development due to regulatory uncertainty.
In July 2025, TotalEnergies’ Chief Executive Patrick Pouyanné said: “Alignment and mutual understanding are crucial if the project is to move forward. I want to avoid a situation where a dispute arises later because the Namibian authorities feel they weren’t fully informed or didn’t fully understand the project.
“It’s better to take the time at the beginning to ensure everything is clear.”
The company aims to reach FID on the Venus project by Q4 2026, with first oil expected to flow by the end of the decade.
“The site is extremely remote, 300 km offshore and at a depth of 1,900 m,” Sangster said, emphasising that much of the associated gas discovered at the complex acreage would need to be reinjected.
Mozambique’s $20 billion LNG project
In October last year, Total lifted a four‑year force majeure on the 13 million tonnes per annum LNG project in Mozambique, clearing the way for one of Africa’s largest single energy investments.
The $15.5 billion onshore project had come to a complete standstill in April 2021 due to insurgent activity in Mozambique’s northern province, but has now been revived.
TotalEnergies stated that the relaunch comes with “incremental costs incurred” and confirmed it has submitted an updated development plan, including a revised budget and timeline, to the government for approval.
In November, chief executive Patrick Pouyanné announced that the project cost now stands at $20.5 billion, an increase of $4.5 billion compared with 2021.
Construction is expected to begin in 2026, following the mobilisation phase. “As soon as we mobilise, we’re fully in construction mode,” Pouyanné said in November.
The US‑backed gas project is operated by TotalEnergies (26.5%) alongside Japan’s Mitsui (20%) and Mozambique’s ENH (15%). Other partners include India’s ONGC and Oil India. The British government withdrew its funding support, citing increased risks that no longer serve “the best interests of UK taxpayers”.
The project is expected to come on stream by 2029 at the earliest, with around 90% of its output volume already contracted for long‑term exports.
Uganda’s Tilenga and EACOP
In 2026, TotalEnergies will enter a critical operational phase in Uganda – one of Africa’s newest oil frontiers – as it transitions from construction to production on its major energy projects.
The company aims to begin crude oil production from the Tilenga project by mid‑2026, with up to 140 wells already drilled at the site as of early this year.
This will be supported by the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP), scheduled for completion in July 2026.
The 1,443‑km heated pipeline will transport more than 200,000 barrels of crude oil per day from the Ugandan town of Kabaale to the port of Tanga in Tanzania for onward export to the international market.
By early February, the $5 billion cross‑border pipeline project had reached 79% completion, with first oil shipments projected to begin between July and October 2026.
In June 2025, the government announced that both projects – led by TotalEnergies in partnership with CNOOC – had attracted $11.11 billion in investment into the country’s petroleum sector.
Energy Minister Ruth Nankabirwa has repeatedly emphasised that Kampala is determined to ensure all project timelines are met, enabling the government to “earn the much‑needed revenues for national infrastructure development.”
Financial institutions such as the World Bank Group and the IMF project significant GDP growth once production begins, potentially rising from the current $41.4 billion to about $51.9 billion.
Nigeria’s Ima gas project
In Nigeria, TotalEnergies is preparing to drill an appraisal well at the Egina South field, particularly on the OPL 257 side, as a potential tie‑back to the Egina Main FPSO. This follows a strategic asset swap in 2025 between TotalEnergies and local operator Conoil.
Under the deal, Conoil relinquished 50% of its 60% stake in OPL 257 to TotalEnergies in exchange for a 40% stake in the gas‑rich OML 136.
TotalEnergies also plans to reach a Final Investment Decision (FID) on the Ima gas project in 2026.
Once completed, the integrated offshore development – linked to OMLs 112 and 117 – is expected to deliver up to 70,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day.
The raw gas from Ima will supply Nigeria LNG’s Train 7 project, which is currently under construction and represents a major expansion of the country’s liquefied natural gas capacity.
Train 7 is designed to boost Nigeria’s LNG output by around 35%, reinforcing the country’s position as one of the world’s leading LNG exporters. The Ubeta gas project, scheduled to come on stream in 2027, will also contribute feedstock to Train 7, creating a broader integrated gas supply chain.
Key ramp-ups and new projects in Angola
TotalEnergies’ Begonia and CLOV Phase 3 offshore projects are expected to reach full capacity in 2026.
Launched in mid‑2025, the twin developments will add a combined 60,000 barrels per day (bpd) to TotalEnergies’ output. The company is already Angola’s leading operator, accounting for nearly 45% of the country’s oil production.
Several other major projects in Angola are also set to hit key milestones in 2026.
These include the Quiluma and Maboqueiro gas fields, part of the New Gas Consortium, which are scheduled to come online in early 2026 to supply the Angola LNG plant. A newly built 35 MW solar power generator dedicated to supporting this project is due for completion in the first half of the year.
Another significant development is the $6 billion Kaminho deepwater project (Block 20/11). The project is progressing steadily, with extensive contracting and engineering work expected to be underway throughout 2026.
First oil from Kaminho is targeted for 2028, marking it as one of Angola’s most ambitious deepwater ventures.
TotalEnergies to resume drilling in South Africa
TotalEnergies is set to execute one of its most ambitious drilling and exploration campaigns in Africa in 2026.
Beyond its activities in Namibia and Uganda, the company has indicated that it “hopes to begin” exploration drilling on the South African side of the Orange Basin, following years of restrictive approval conditions.
Plans include up to seven exploration wells in the Deep Western Orange Basin, located roughly 211 km offshore. However, the company acknowledged that “the process to obtain all the authorisations is rather lengthy.”
In addition to South Africa, TotalEnergies maintains substantial operations in Algeria and Angola, both of which are central to its 2026 production and exploration strategy.
For example, combined gas production from the Tin Fouye Tabankort (TFT) II and TFT South fields is expected to exceed 100,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boe/d) this year, up from 60,000 boe/d in 2022.
Exploration and appraisal activities on the Ahara licence – awarded in June 2025 to TotalEnergies and Qatar Energy – will also be a key operational focus in 2026, further strengthening the company’s footprint across the continent.
By the time TotalEnergies successfully delivers all of these projects, Africa will have firmly established itself as the company’s busiest theatre of operations in 2026.
This year, TotalEnergies expects its oil and gas output to rise by around 3%, with hydrocarbon production already on track to surpass 2.6 million boe/d in the first quarter alone.
