Angola Announces 2025 Oil Licensing Round to Boost Exploration in Kwanza and Benguela Basins
Angola’s Minister of Mineral Resources, Petroleum and Gas, Diamantino Azevedo, has announced that the country’s next oil licensing round will be launched by Q4 2025, offering acreage in the Kwanza and Benguela basins.
Speaking during a Ministerial Fireside Chat sponsored by Vitol at the Angola Oil & Gas Conference and Exhibition 2025, Minister Azevedo emphasized that the round is part of efforts to sustain oil production above one million barrels per day (bpd) in 2026 and beyond.
The upcoming licensing round represents the final bid round under Angola’s multi-year licensing strategy, launched in 2019 with the goal of awarding 50 concessions. By offering blocks in proven hydrocarbon basins, the round is expected to stimulate exploration and counter production declines from mature fields.
“We aim to achieve one million bpd in the next year. While we have active developments in some areas, many of our fields contain mature wells. Our solution is to discover new deposits.
Offshore and onshore, we are seeing significant exploration growth across new blocks. The multi-year strategy concludes this year, with one final bid round expected. The 2025 licensing round will be launched in the last quarter of this year,” stated Minister Azevedo.
The round aligns with Angola’s broader strategy to attract investment in both active and emerging basins. This includes initiatives such as the permanent offer regime and marginal field prospects, which encourage development of smaller-scale or undeveloped assets.
“We have legislation supporting marginal fields, and the internal basins program is progressing well. Our strategy remains flexible, allowing investors to seize available blocks,” Minister Azevedo added.
These reforms have attracted new investment while supporting reinvestments by existing operators. “By creating legislative changes, we invited the private sector to participate, demonstrating our cooperative approach and fostering win-win mechanisms. Reform is ongoing as we continue improving legislation, implementation, and regulation,” he said.
Beyond international partnerships, Angola is focused on enhancing local participation in the oil and gas sector. Minister Azevedo stressed the importance of positioning Angolan entrepreneurs and companies at the forefront of industry growth.
“We want to see more Angolans actively participating in the sector. National companies must play a key role in economic growth, and we aim to implement legislation to support this goal,” he concluded.
