Overview
From 16 to 18 June 2026, SOH Energy participated in the 2nd Africa Technology Conference (ATC) in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. Organised under the theme “Harnessing Innovation and Technology for a Resilient and Sustainable African Energy Sector,” ATC 2026 brought together government officials, national oil companies, international operators, technology providers, and industry thought leaders from across Africa and beyond.
This year’s edition was a landmark event, marking the conference’s first hosting in Francophone West Africa and underscoring the region’s growing prominence in the continent’s energy landscape. Côte d’Ivoire, buoyed by significant offshore discoveries including the landmark Baleine field, Africa’s first Scope 1 and 2 net-zero developments, provided a fitting backdrop for conversations about technology, sustainability, and the future of African energy.
KEY THEMES AND DISCUSSIONS
Institutional Strategy and the Investment Climate
The Ivorian government is actively seeking international technology and expertise to maximise asset recovery, while firmly enforcing national industrial integration. Industry leaders emphasised that West Africa’s investment boom rewards speed-to-market — operators are searching for service providers who can deploy technology without disrupting tight production timelines.
Balancing Innovation, Sustainability, and Growth
IOCs and PETROCI are not simply procuring standard oilfield services. Operators are actively prioritising vendors offering emission-reduction technologies, digital optimisation tools, and low-carbon operational footprints, making decarbonisation alignment a commercial necessity, not just a corporate value.
Africa’s Gas Revolution
The launch of the Africa Gas and Innovations Summit (AGIS) reinforced that natural gas has become the central anchor of Côte d’Ivoire’s national industrialisation strategy and regional power exports via the West African Power Pool (WAPP).
The Digital Energy Revolution
Panellists from SLB, NEPL, and Renaissance Africa Energy highlighted the push to integrate AI, data science, and cloud automation into deepwater operations. The message was clear: vendors who bring both technology and local capacity-building will have a distinct competitive edge.
SOH ENERGY’S PARTICIPATION AND KEY HIGHLIGHTS
Our team delivered a technical paper presentation titled “Analyzing the Effects of Water Injectors on Oil Production Using Causality Models,“ presented by, Dr. Stephen Adjei. The session introduced our proprietary iDPRS analytics software: a machine learning-driven tool designed to address the critical industry challenge of water breakthrough and inefficient reservoir sweep. Unlike conventional approaches that rely on correlation, our software uses causality modelling to identify precisely which water injector wells are driving production changes, and by how much.
The session drew over 20 focused technical experts and generated highly constructive engagement. Expert feedback validated our technical approach, with the consensus being that initial deployment alongside traditional reservoir engineering methods would be the optimal pathway to benchmarking its predictive accuracy before full transition.
Looking Ahead
We return from Abidjan with a sharper understanding of the regulatory landscape, valuable new relationships across the industry, and a clear set of next steps to pursue. SOH Energy remains committed to expanding its footprint across Africa’s energy sector, bringing integrated solutions, local partnership, and cutting-edge technology to every market we enter.
