• Oil majors including TotalEnergies and Chevron are calling for faster approval of exploration permits in Africa.
• Governments such as Congo and Angola are revising laws and granting more licenses to attract investors.
• NGOs warn that speeding up approvals could weaken environmental and public consultation standards.

Major oil companies such as TotalEnergies and Chevron are urging African governments to speed up authorization procedures for exploration projects. According to reports from industry sources they are calling for faster permit approvals and broader access to advanced seismic data, arguing that bureaucratic delays are discouraging new investments.

To attract investors in oil and gas, several governments are already focusing on faster approvals. In Congo, for example, Hydrocarbons Minister Bruno Jean-Richard Itoua said Parliament plans to adopt a new gas code by the end of October to draw in more capital. A few weeks earlier, TotalEnergies received a new offshore exploration permit for the Nzombo block. In Angola, the National Oil, Gas, and Biofuels Agency (ANPG) aims to award 60 concessions by the end of 2025.

However, while many governments view this policy as a way to bring in funds quickly and boost production, critics warn it could weaken environmental assessments and public participation. NGOs such as The Green Connection in South Africa and Afrewatch in the Democratic Republic of Congo have called for transparent and rigorous approval processes.

A recent court decision illustrates the risks of shortcuts. In South Africa, the Western Cape High Court annulled an environmental permit in August for an offshore exploration project on Block 5/6/7, citing flaws in the impact study and public consultation process.

According to the African Energy Outlook 2024 from the African Development Bank, many governments see faster permit procedures as a competitiveness tool compared with mature oil jurisdictions where licensing operates within a more predictable and stable framework.