Equatorial Guinea has signed new multi-billion-dollar agreements to sustain its Gas Mega Hub over the next two decades, as Central African leaders outlined ambitious gas projects and discussed measures to safeguard energy assets and meet rising regional demand.

Speaking on a panel at African Energy Week 2025: Invest in African Energies, Antonio Oburu Ondo, Minister of Hydrocarbons for Equatorial Guinea, highlighted the latest deals, including a multi-billion-dollar Heads of Agreement for a phase of the Gas Mega Hub and a multi-million-dollar agreement with Chevron for the Aseng gas project. “The Gas Mega Hub aims to ensure that the Punta Europa Gas Complex survives over time,” he said. “It is a constant fight to make sure we tap into new gas resources to guarantee the survival of the gas complex.”

Ondo also stressed Equatorial Guinea’s investor-friendly approach. “We have been very successful with our open door licensing policy, and announced our new EG Ronda licensing round yesterday. Our aim is to be one of the top countries in terms of regulation,” he said.

Bruno Jean-Richard Itoua, Minister of Hydrocarbons for the Republic of Congo, echoed the region’s focus on gas, emphasizing domestic energy access before exports. “Every drop of oil and gas counts. We have decided to make gas a priority. We will only export once we cover the needs of the country. The target is to provide electricity access to all Congolese people in the next five years, especially clean cooking gas,” he said, noting that national projects will produce LNG, LPG, butane and propane.

Erik Prince, founder of Blackwater, framed energy development across the continent, and in the Gulf of Guinea in particular, as inseparable from strategic security. “Because precision is now so cheap, it has greatly increased the threat envelope… There is a lot of private sector capability available to help governments maintain their sovereignty and restore their border integrity.”

Prince also highlighted the role of AI and data centers in driving global energy demand. “The demand signal for energy production for the world is rapidly accelerating. Invest accordingly, prepare accordingly logistically. It’s going to be an all-fronts effort to get it done.”