Speaking during a panel discussion entitled Reviving Legacy Fields for Maximum Recovery – sponsored by Contango Oil & Gas during Invest in African Energy (IAE) 2026 in Paris, Ian Cloke, Chief Operating Officer at Afentra, said the company’s strategy is built on identifying overlooked assets with strong remaining potential. The renewed upside outlook underscores a broader trend in West Africa’s mature basins, where operators are increasingly revisiting legacy offshore infrastructure to unlock stranded value through improved subsurface understanding and incremental investment.

“We believe there are lots of overlooked opportunities if you know where to look,” Cloke said. “With the right investigations, the right subsurface work and the right partnerships, legacy fields can still deliver significant upside.”

Cloke highlighted Block 3/05 offshore Angola as a case in point, where shallow-water production and underinvested infrastructure have created a base for redevelopment. The focus on Angola reflects a wider industry shift toward mature asset optimization, particularly in fields that were partially developed during earlier cycles of investment but later deprioritized as attention moved to deeper offshore exploration.

“We came into an asset that had been largely underinvested for years and through targeted capital deployment and stabilization work, we were able to restore production and extend field life beyond original expectations,” he noted.

That broader theme – maximizing output from aging infrastructure – was echoed across the panel by operators and service providers working across Africa’s legacy basins.

Salim Aliiereebi, Technical Director at Contango Oil & Gas, emphasized that many operators continue to rely on aging systems without sufficient modernization. “Operators are trying to sustain production by utilizing legacy assets where control systems have become obsolete and are no longer supported,” he said. “Without upgrading, they are effectively managing short-term output at the expense of long-term value. The concept of total cost of ownership is frequently overlooked. System upgrades may appear expensive initially, but over time they deliver higher production reliability and reduced downtime.”

Beyond subsurface and production challenges, Arthur Ename, Vice President Africa, NOV, also highlighted the importance of infrastructure adaptation. “Instead of relying solely on conventional steel, we can introduce composite materials such as glass-reinforced solutions to reduce weight and extend platform integrity,” he said. “These interventions can add 15 to 20 years of operational life when properly deployed.”

On the fiscal and regulatory side, Jay Park KC, Director, Park Energy, noted, “If government take is rising over time, production declines and investment slows,” he said. “But where fiscal systems are more balanced – with flexible royalties and cost recovery – operators are far more willing to invest in enhanced recovery.”