UK listed oil and gas company Afentra is progressing plans to redevelop mature oil assets and pursue new exploration opportunities in Angola’s onshore Kwanza Basin, following the signing of a Risk Services Contract for Block 4, also known as KON 4.
The agreement, signed in June with Angola’s upstream regulator the National Oil, Gas and Biofuels Agency (ANPG), brings together Afentra, Sonangol E&P, Grupo Simples Oil, Brite’s Oil & Gas and Sodedurs in an effort aimed at unlocking value from a historically underdeveloped oil producing region.
The Kwanza Basin has long been recognised as an area with significant geological potential, but decades of limited activity, partly influenced by Angola’s prolonged civil conflict and the subsequent focus on offshore developments, have left much of its resource base underexplored. In recent years, renewed interest in Angola’s mature onshore basins has emerged as the country seeks to expand domestic production, attract investment and maximise the value of existing infrastructure.
Afentra said KON 4 offers a combination of discovered resources, opportunities to restore production from previously producing fields and exploration potential across multiple geological formations, including pre salt, post salt Cretaceous and Tertiary plays.
The company’s plans include the redevelopment of the Quenguela Norte oilfield, which historically produced up to 12,000 barrels per day before operations ceased in 1999. Alongside the Legua and Benfica fields, Quenguela Norte is estimated by Afentra to contain significant remaining oil resources, with combined in place resources of approximately 220 million barrels.
If redevelopment plans progress, production from the fields could potentially be transported by road to the Luanda refinery, located approximately 50 kilometres away, creating a pathway for early production and revenue generation. Afentra has identified 2027 as a target date for first oil, subject to technical studies, approvals, investment decisions and successful execution of the redevelopment programme.
ANPG chairman Paulino Jeronimo has previously highlighted the importance of increasing activity in Angola’s onshore oil regions to complement the country’s internationally recognised offshore sector. The regulator has indicated that accelerating the redevelopment of mature fields remains a priority as Angola seeks to extend the lifespan of existing petroleum assets while developing new opportunities.
Afentra chief operations officer Ian Cloke said KON 4 represented an opportunity to apply modern exploration and redevelopment techniques in a basin where substantial geological knowledge already exists. The company has drawn on experience from similar low cost exploration environments, including projects previously associated with East African basins.
The exploration component of KON 4 is also central to Afentra’s strategy. The Kwanza Basin has historically seen more than 130 exploration wells drilled between the 1950s and early 1980s, providing a substantial geological database, although significant areas remain insufficiently evaluated using modern seismic technology.
Afentra has identified more than 40 exploration leads within the block and plans to acquire additional two dimensional seismic data to refine potential drilling targets. The company expects this work to help identify up to four priority prospects ahead of a potential exploration drilling campaign in 2027.
Internal assessments by Afentra indicate that exploration targets within KON 4 could contain up to 350 million barrels of oil in place. However, the company has emphasised that these estimates remain subject to further technical evaluation, exploration success and commercial assessment.
The renewed focus on the Kwanza Basin reflects a broader trend across parts of Africa, where governments and energy companies are reassessing mature oil and gas regions that were previously overlooked in favour of larger offshore developments. Countries across the continent continue to balance the need to develop domestic energy resources with growing international pressure to accelerate the transition towards lower carbon energy systems.
Angola remains one of Africa’s largest oil producers and has increasingly sought to encourage investment in marginal fields, mature assets and exploration acreage as part of efforts to sustain production levels and strengthen economic diversification.
Afentra’s involvement in KON 4 follows its broader expansion in Angola’s upstream sector. The company is also a non operating partner in offshore blocks KON 15 and KON 19, located south of KON 4, where seismic activities are expected to support further exploration assessment.
The development of Angola’s onshore resources will depend on several factors, including investment commitments, infrastructure requirements, regulatory approvals and market conditions. While the Kwanza Basin presents considerable geological potential, successful commercial development will require careful evaluation and long term collaboration between government institutions, local partners and international investors.
For Angola, the revival of mature oilfields represents not only an opportunity to increase production but also a chance to strengthen domestic capabilities, create economic linkages and ensure that natural resource development contributes more broadly to national development objectives.
