10 African Oil Producers with Lowest Drilling Activity

By Eyo Nsima

Africa’s oil industry is facing a widening exploration and drilling investment gap, with several petroleum-producing countries recording very low drilling activity despite their substantial hydrocarbon resources.

The latest global rig count showed that Africa operated 47 active rigs in July 2026, unchanged from June, but well below the 67 rigs recorded in 2023 and 52 in 2024.

The continent’s rig count fell further to 44 in 2025 before recovering marginally in 2026, indicating that the recent increase has not yet reversed the broader decline in upstream drilling activity.

The development is significant because sustained drilling is required to discover new reserves, appraise existing discoveries and develop fields capable of replacing declining production from mature assets.

The latest data also showed considerable differences among African producers, with some countries operating dozens of rigs while others had only a few or none.

1. Equatorial Guinea — 0 rigs

Equatorial Guinea recorded zero active rigs, making it one of the African petroleum producers with the lowest current drilling activity.

The development comes as the country seeks to manage declining production from mature oil fields while expanding its gas industry.

The absence of active drilling highlights the difficulty of replacing depleted reserves in mature producing provinces and attracting fresh capital into new exploration.

2. Congo — 2 rigs

The Republic of Congo had two active rigs.

Although the country remains an important offshore oil producer, its rig activity is small compared with the scale of its petroleum sector.

Congo’s priority is increasingly focused on developing new offshore resources and sustaining production from existing fields, making continued exploration and development drilling critical to its upstream outlook.

3. Gabon — 4 rigs

Gabon recorded four active rigs in July, down from five in June.

The country averaged three rigs in 2025, compared with four in 2024.

As a mature producer, Gabon faces the challenge of maintaining production from ageing fields while attracting investment into new exploration and field redevelopment.

The relatively small rig fleet therefore reflects the broader need for greater investment to replace declining reserves.

4. Nigeria — 18 rigs

Nigeria recorded 18 active rigs in July, unchanged from June.

The figure represents a notable improvement from the country’s 2025 average of 13 rigs and is also above the 14 recorded in 2023 and 15 in 2024.

Despite the improvement, 18 rigs remain modest for a country with extensive oil and gas resources and a long history as one of Africa’s leading petroleum producers.

The increase is coming as Nigeria intensifies efforts to attract upstream investment, develop new fields and increase crude production.

The country still faces the need to increase exploration, appraisal and development drilling to replace production from mature assets and convert discovered resources into producing fields.

5. Libya — 27 rigs

Libya operated 27 rigs in July, down from 30 in June.

Despite the monthly decline, its drilling activity has increased substantially from the 18-rig average recorded in both 2024 and 2025.

Libya possesses one of Africa’s largest crude oil reserve bases, giving it considerable potential for higher production.

However, political instability, infrastructure constraints and operational disruptions have historically affected investment and drilling activity.

A more stable operating environment would be critical to unlocking its upstream potential.

6. Algeria — 42 rigs

Algeria had 42 active rigs in July, unchanged from June.

Its rig count increased from 36 in 2023 to 42 in 2024 and 43 in 2025, making it one of Africa’s most active drilling markets.

The country’s substantial oil and gas resources and its importance as an international gas supplier have supported relatively strong upstream activity.

Nevertheless, continued drilling remains necessary to maintain production and replace reserves from mature fields.

7. Angola — low drilling activity

Angola is among Africa’s largest crude oil producers, but its upstream industry has experienced relatively low drilling activity compared with the size of its resource base.

The country’s deepwater petroleum sector requires large amounts of capital and long development periods, while declining production from mature offshore fields has increased the need for new exploration and development.

Angola has introduced licensing rounds and investment incentives aimed at attracting new capital.

The key challenge is ensuring that these initiatives translate into sustained exploration, appraisal drilling and new field developments.

8. Tunisia — low drilling activity

Tunisia has a relatively small and mature oil industry, with production having declined over the years.

Its limited drilling activity reflects the modest scale of its petroleum sector as well as challenges in attracting investment into new exploration.

For Tunisia, increased exploration could help identify additional resources and slow the decline of domestic production, potentially reducing pressure on the country’s energy import bill.

9. Kenya — low drilling activity

Kenya remains an emerging petroleum producer with significant prospective acreage.

Compared with established producers such as Algeria, Libya and Nigeria, its drilling activity remains limited as the country works to move discovered resources towards commercial development.

The next stage of Kenya’s petroleum development will depend heavily on investment in appraisal, field development and supporting infrastructure.

10. South Africa — minimal drilling activity

South Africa has significant offshore oil and gas potential but has historically recorded limited conventional petroleum drilling.

Interest in its offshore basins has increased following encouraging exploration results, but commercial development will require sustained drilling and substantial investment.

Its experience demonstrates the gap between geological potential and actual exploration activity.

Africa’s drilling deficit

The combined African rig count tells a broader story.

Africa’s 47 rigs in July 2026 accounted for only about 2.4 per cent of the 1,950 rigs operating globally.

More importantly, the continent’s rig count has remained below its 2023 level:

2023 — 67 rigs

2024 — 52 rigs

2025 — 44 rigs

July 2026 — 47 rigs

This represents a substantial decline in drilling activity over the period, despite continued efforts by African governments to attract upstream investment.

The decline is particularly worrying for mature producers because every producing field eventually requires additional drilling, workovers, enhanced recovery or replacement by new discoveries.

Investment competition

Africa is also competing for upstream capital in an increasingly competitive global market.

International oil companies are becoming more selective about new projects, prioritising assets capable of delivering competitive returns, lower costs and relatively quick production.

Deepwater projects, which dominate the portfolios of several African producers, require substantial upfront capital and can take years to reach first oil.

High costs, financing constraints, regulatory uncertainty, infrastructure shortages and security challenges have therefore contributed to the relatively low drilling levels recorded in several countries.

Nigeria’s contrasting position

Nigeria provides an important example of both the challenge and the opportunity.

The country’s increase from an average of 13 rigs in 2025 to 18 rigs in July 2026 indicates that drilling activity can respond positively when investment conditions improve.

But sustaining that increase will be crucial.

More rigs must ultimately translate into more exploration wells, successful discoveries, reserve additions and production from new and existing fields.

Without that conversion, a higher rig count alone will have limited impact on Nigeria’s long-term production outlook.

The reserve replacement challenge

The decline in African drilling activity has implications beyond current production.

Lower exploration spending today can mean fewer discoveries several years from now. This creates a potential reserve replacement problem for countries already dependent on mature assets.

For African producers, therefore, exploration is not simply about finding additional oil. It is increasingly about ensuring the survival of existing petroleum industries.

Countries unable to attract sufficient drilling investment could face declining production, lower export revenues and greater pressure on government finances.

What Africa must do

To reverse the trend, African oil producers will need to improve the investment environment by providing stable fiscal terms, predictable regulation, faster approvals, improved infrastructure and stronger security arrangements.

They will also need to reduce the time and cost required to move discoveries from exploration to commercial production.

The continent’s 47 rigs in July 2026 show that drilling activity has begun to recover from the 44-rig level of 2025, but the increase remains insufficient to restore Africa to its 2023 level.

With competition for global upstream capital intensifying, the countries that offer the most competitive and predictable investment environments are likely to attract the greatest share of new exploration spending.

For Africa, the issue is therefore not a shortage of petroleum resources, but whether sufficient capital and drilling equipment will be deployed to discover, develop and replace those resources.

Until drilling activity rises substantially, several African oil producers will remain exposed to declining reserves and falling production from mature fields.