Industry leaders highlighted how expertise developed in the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS) can be leveraged to support Africa’s energy growth, extending beyond traditional oil and gas projects to include sustainability and technological innovation at the Wider African Energy Summit this week.

Speaking during the summit, Thomas Sommerstad, Sales Specialist Global at ABB, emphasized the importance of early engagement in projects, from optimizing design to ensuring fit-for-purpose solutions. “If we can join our partners – EPCs, operators and so on – at an early stage, then we can integrate sustainability measures early-on in the project. This is something we’ve done in the North Sea for a long time.”

Arthur Ename, VP for Business Development – Africa at NOV, highlighted the operational benefits of early collaboration. “If you don’t engage early, your project might look cheaper to implement with a lower CapEx, but it may have very large OpEx. When you engage early with technology providers, you ensure that you don’t have too much OpEx over the life of the asset.”

Stuart Hamilton, Positioning and Construction Support Service Line Director at Fugro, focused on developing the talent pipeline. “We have to work closely with universities, providing traineeships, and create that pipeline that supports global operations,” he said, emphasizing how UKCS-trained personnel can support African projects.

Martin Booth, Managing Director at Zenith Energy, highlighted the role of supply chain and local expertise. “When it comes to planning and drilling wells, in Aberdeen, the supply chain and the people are there. Different places in Africa are different, with varying levels of infrastructure. It then becomes more of a contracting phase and a logistical exercise.”

On Africa’s growth potential, he added: “It’s a less mature basin than the North Sea. The big companies are there, but you’re also seeing smaller companies and investors moving in, and those are our traditional clients. I see a tremendous growth opportunity [in Africa] in terms of drilling wells and the expertise we’re developing in the UK on the well abandonment side.”

The panel underscored a shared theme: leveraging UK offshore expertise early in African projects can optimize design, integrate sustainability measures, reduce long-term operating costs and support the growth of local talent. Applying lessons from the North Sea, companies can help African nations meet growing energy demand while positioning themselves for long-term opportunities in emerging markets.