• Local firms reach 7% of Angola oil, gas value chain

• Share up over 133% since 2022, driven by contracts

• Still below 20% target despite gains in services, downstream

Local companies active in Angola's oil and gas industry now account for 7% of the sector's value chain, the state news agency Angop reported on Friday, citing Maura Nunes, head of local content at the National Agency for Petroleum, Gas and Biofuels (ANPG).

According to ANPG, the figure, derived from contracts and activities reported by operators, represents an increase of more than 133% from 2022, when local companies accounted for roughly 3% of the hydrocarbons value chain. The result reflects a growing presence in oil extraction activities, the country's main export sector.

"These figures demonstrate that we are genuinely promoting the participation of national companies, while maintaining a competitive and transparent environment," Nunes said on the sidelines of the Angola-Italy forum held in Luanda, which focused on local content in the hydrocarbons sector.

The increase is attributed to contracts awarded to national companies across several segments of the sector. According to ANPG, those firms secured more service contracts, particularly in logistics and technical operations, linked to operators working on oil blocks.

Nunes said the progress reflects the effective implementation of presidential decree 271/20, adding that the growth "did not happen by chance, but reflects consistent policies and efforts by national companies to build the required technical capacity."

Still far short of targets

Despite the gains, local companies remain well below government targets. Authorities aim for national firms to account for 20% of the oil and gas sector.

At the opening of the fifth annual Local Content Conference on March 26 in Luanda, Oil Minister Diamantino Azevedo outlined the current situation. According to the data he presented, Angolan companies accounted for about 12% of contracts between January and August 2025.

Those figures vary by contract type. Under the exclusivity regime, reserved for companies wholly owned by Angolan nationals, the share stands at 4%, up from 2% in 2022.

In value terms, growth is stronger. Contracts awarded to national companies rose from $358 million to $733 million between 2022 and 2025. Over the same period, ANPG approved about $54 billion in contracts.

In 2024, enforcement of local content rules produced a notable result in the downstream segment. According to the Institute for the Regulation of Petroleum Derivative Products (IRDP), national companies control 90% of that market, in sharp contrast with their limited presence upstream.

Authorities expect that momentum to strengthen further downstream, partly through projects at the Soyo, Lobito and Cabinda refineries. In August 2025, Ecofin Agency reported that the Cabinda facility was nearing operations and was expected to position Angola as Central Africa’s leading crude oil refiner.

Abdel-Latif Boureima