Tuesday, 30 September 2025, 11:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m., Tunis, Tunisia - Sheraton Tunis Hotel
How to Encourage Exploration and Investment in Frontier Basins
North Africa has established significant energy resources, meeting the demand of its large internal market and exporting through direct gas transport pipelines to Europe. The region is home to prolific world-class hydrocarbon provinces, many of which may yet yield significant additional resources. Both onshore and offshore, substantial untapped exploration potential remains, but is it attracting the investment needed to fully realise its potential? Although the recent significant gas discoveries in the Eastern Mediterranean have attracted the majors, eager to explore, many frontier areas remain underexplored, and unconventional hydrocarbon exploration has yet to be attempted at scale. Renewables and carbon capture offer further economic opportunities in a region poised for growth, with a young and dynamic population eager to drive economic development. In light of growing concerns over global energy security and the increasing emphasis on supply diversification, the countries of North Africa and the Mediterranean region are becoming increasingly important partners for Europe.
This panel session will explore the opportunities for exploration and investment in North Africa, encompassing oil, gas, renewables, and carbon capture technologies. Are there barriers -whether commercial, data-related, or governance-driven - that hinder exploration and resource development in the region? What lessons can be learnt from other regions? Where are the new plays? What is needed to attract both majors and independents to invest, and how can North Africa accelerate its growth to fully unlock its potential as a global energy hub?