Onome Amuge
The Sub Saharan Africa International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (SAIPEC) has unveiled the first confirmed speakers for its 10th anniversary edition, bringing together senior policymakers, regulators and national oil company executives from across Africa.
Organisers said many of the confirmed participants have been involved with SAIPEC since its launch, underscoring the event’s evolution from a regional gathering into one of Africa’s leading oil, gas and energy platforms. The speaker line-up reflects continued engagement from institutions that have shaped regulatory frameworks, local content policies and upstream development across the continent over the past decade.
Confirmed speakers include Emeafa Hardcastle, acting chief executive of Ghana’s Petroleum Commission; Felix Ogbe Omatsola, executive secretary of Nigeria’s Content Development and Monitoring Board; Caleb Makwiranzou, Zimbabwe’s deputy minister for mines and mining development; Foday Mansaray, director general of Sierra Leone’s Petroleum Directorate; and Ernest Rubondo, executive director of Uganda’s Petroleum Authority.
They are joined by Baboucarr Njie, managing director of the Gambia National Petroleum Corporation; Proscovia Nabbanja, chief executive of the Uganda National Oil Company; Fabian M Lai, president and chief executive of Liberia’s National Oil Company; and Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, chief executive of Nigeria’s Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, alongside senior industry executives and local content regulators from West and Central Africa.
SAIPEC 2026 will take place from 10–12 February at the Eko Convention Centre in Lagos, marking a decade since the conference was established. The event is hosted by the Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria in partnership with the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, NNPC Ltd, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission and AOS Orwell.
A major theme of the anniversary programme will be Nigeria’s ongoing oil licensing round, with dedicated sessions expected to provide regulatory updates, outline available acreage and assess investment prospects. Country spotlight sessions will also examine upstream, gas and infrastructure opportunities across key African energy markets.
Beyond the conference programme, organisers say networking and deal-making will remain a core focus. The event will feature curated business meetings, executive receptions and industry networking sessions, alongside an international exhibition with more than 150 exhibitors showcasing technologies and services across exploration, production, engineering, digitalisation and the energy transition.
