In an effort to increase both its production and digital capacity across its operations in Nigeria, Heirs Energies – a local energy company headquartered in Lagos – has deployed Starlink-powered connectivity to transform asset management at remote oil sites.
This deployment enables real-time monitoring, reliable communications, and advanced IoT integration, thereby enhancing data-driven availability, efficiency, and performance in the field.
Following its digital rollout, the company will participate as a Gold Sponsor at this year’s African Energy Week (AEW) 2026, which will be held from October 12 to 16 in Cape Town. Its sponsorship comes as the event launches its first AI and data center track, placing digital infrastructure, smart systems, and data-driven demand at the heart of Africa’s rapidly evolving energy landscape.
Heirs Energies’ digital transformation is built upon a series of strategic and financial milestones. In December 2025, the company secured a $750 million senior secured credit facility in two tranches from the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), accelerating the development of OML 17 and reinforcing the “Africa finances Africa” model.
This facility supports the company’s medium-term ambition to increase production to 100,000 barrels per day (bpd) while enhancing liquidity, capital efficiency, and long-term field optimization.
Operationally, the company is continuing the transformation of OML 17, a 1,300 km² onshore asset located in Rivers State. Since taking over management in 2021, Heirs Energies has more than doubled its oil production to over 50,000 b/d and increased its gas production to approximately 120-135 million standard cubic feet per day (MMscf/d).
Through its “Brownfield Excellence” strategy—which involves reactivating more than 100 inactive wells and maintaining an availability rate above 85%—the company has reduced theft losses and improved delivery alignment to terminals, achieving near-perfect accuracy.
Heirs Energies embodies the rise of local African operators who are developing in a responsible and profitable manner.
In parallel, a joint venture between Heirs Energies and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company has entered into flare gas marketing agreements under the Nigerian Flare Gas Marketing Scheme, aiming to capture approximately 180 MMscf/d of flare gas on OML 17.
With five private buyers committed and commissioning planned by the third quarter of 2026, this initiative supports Nigeria’s ‘Decade of Gas’ policy, strengthens national energy security and monetizes previously wasted resources while reducing routine flaring.
In parallel, Heirs Energies completed a transformative private equity transaction on December 31, 2025, acquiring a 20.7% stake in Seplat Energy for approximately $496 million.
This transaction, financed in part by an Afreximbank credit facility and with financial support from the Africa Finance Corporation, makes Heirs Energies the largest shareholder in Seplat and strengthens horizontal integration across the upstream and downstream value chain in Nigeria.
Beyond hydrocarbons, the company continues to anchor Africapitalism through the OML 17 Host Community Development Fund, which serves 73 communities in Rivers State.
The Trust has awarded more than 1,600 scholarships, enabled more than 300 young people to acquire professional skills and upgraded electrical infrastructure for the benefit of 270,000 people.
“Heirs Energies embodies the rise of local African operators who are growing responsibly and profitably,” said NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the African Energy Chamber. “Its Gold sponsorship at AEW 2026 reflects both its commercial strength and its deep commitment to Africa’s energy future.”
As AEW 2026 prepares to take place in Cape Town, attention is increasingly focused on the convergence of energy systems, digital infrastructure, and AI across the continent.
According to the report distributed by the APO Group for African Energy Chamber, in this rapidly evolving landscape, the launch of the AI and data center component – NexaGrid Africa: Create. Enable. Building Africa’s Best AI Data Centers for the Future – marks a structural shift in how the continent approaches energy optimization, industrial scalability, and data sovereignty.
It added that Heirs Energies’ expanded digital footprint, from field operations via Starlink to AI-ready asset intelligence, positions the company at the heart of this next phase of transformation, where upstream performance is defined by computing power, connectivity, and real-time decision-making systems.
GIK/APA