Nigerian industrialist Aliko Dangote was named Energy Person of the Year at the 2026 African Energy Awards, as the African Energy Chamber recognised companies and executives across oil, gas and power at its annual gathering in Cape Town.
The awards were a highlight of African Energy Week, held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre from 12 to 16 October and attended by more than 10,000 delegates, according to the chamber. Categories spanned services, local content, exploration and production, downstream infrastructure, dealmaking, social investment, gas monetisation, technology and power.
Dangote’s award follows his signing in September of documents for an initial public offering of the Dangote Refinery on the Nigerian Exchange, which is expected to be Africa’s largest listing. He also plans a refinery on Kenya’s coast in partnership with East African governments.
Selected 2026 African Energy Award Winners
| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| Energy Person of the Year | Aliko Dangote, Dangote Group |
| Exploration and Production Leader | Eni |
| Downstream and Infrastructure Leader | Dangote Refinery |
| Deal of the Year | Trafigura ($1bn Gabon prepayment) |
| Gas Monetisation | Congo LNG |
| Power Africa Developer | TotalEnergies (Hydra, South Africa) |
| Technology Innovator | TGS and Starlink |
| CSR Project | Kosmos Energy Ghana The Dangote Refinery took the downstream and infrastructure award. It now processes 700,000 barrels a day of crude and is pursuing a $14 billion (about R231 billion) expansion to 1.4 million barrels a day by 2029, which would make it the world’s largest single-site refinery. |
Eni won the exploration and production award for discoveries including the Algaita-01 well in Angola’s Block 15/06 and the Murene South-1X well in Block CI-501 off Ivory Coast, where it already produces from the Baleine field, which started in 2023. Trafigura took Deal of the Year for a $1 billion (about R16.5 billion) oil prepayment with Gabon, under which the country receives funding upfront in exchange for future crude deliveries.
In South Africa, TotalEnergies was named Power Africa Developer of the Year for its Hydra hybrid project, which pairs a 216MW solar plant with 500MWh of battery storage and generates more than 400GWh a year, enough for over 200,000 households. Congo LNG, now in its second phase with capacity of three million tonnes a year, won the gas monetisation award. TGS and Starlink were recognised for using low-earth-orbit satellite links to send seismic data from survey vessels in near real time.
Lifetime achievement awards went to Kosmos Energy chairman and chief executive Andrew Inglis, who oversaw the Greater Tortue Ahmeyim LNG project shared by Mauritania and Senegal, which delivered first LNG in 2025; Panoro Energy adviser Tim O’Hanlon, who spent 33 years at Tullow Oil; SLB Nigeria country director Nosa Omorodion; and CABSHIP founder João Filipe.
Angola’s KAESO and Copia Group won the African service provider and African local content awards, while Africa Global Logistics, owned by MSC since 2022, and NOV took the international equivalents. Kosmos Energy Ghana won the CSR award for its innovation centre, and Team Mozambique won the third ExxonMobil STEM Africa Competition.
The chamber, led by executive chairman NJ Ayuk, openly argues for continued oil and gas development alongside renewables, a position that shaped this year’s honours list.