Venezuela’s engagement with African energy producers runs deep, shaped by decades of coordination among oil-exporting nations and shared development priorities. Today, those ties are taking on renewed strategic relevance as both sides pursue more structured, commercially focused cooperation, reflecting broader efforts to advance a multipolar global energy order and strengthen South–South partnerships.

At the heart of this relationship is Venezuela’s role in African energy politics. A founding member of OPEC, Venezuela also holds honorary membership in the African Petroleum Producers Organization (APPO), connecting it formally with leading hydrocarbon producers including Angola, Nigeria, Gabon and Equatorial Guinea. These institutional links provide a platform for policy dialogue, market coordination and technical exchange across upstream development, refining and strategic energy planning.

Recent cooperation has become more energy-specific and operational. In 2024, Algeria’s Sonatrach and Venezuela’s PDVSA signed memorandums of understanding to expand collaboration in hydrocarbon exploration, production and petrochemicals, alongside technical training through Algeria’s petroleum institutes. The agreements underscore a shift from diplomatic alignment to sectoral integration and skills transfer.

That same year, Venezuela’s foreign minister met with counterparts from Cameroon, Libya and Tanzania to reinforce bilateral ties and promote joint development across strategic sectors, including energy. These engagements highlight Caracas’ ongoing outreach at a time when African producers are expanding gas monetization strategies and seeking diversified investment partnerships.

Building on this momentum, cooperation is now moving beyond dialogue into structured implementation. In February 2026, the African Energy Chamber (AEC) led a landmark delegation to Venezuela to translate political alignment into concrete partnerships across upstream investment, gas sector expansion, petrochemical development and technical training.

Unlike prior exchanges largely confined to diplomatic statements, the Caracas discussions focused on practical cooperation: joint ventures, regulatory frameworks, capital deployment and knowledge exchange. Meetings with government officials, national oil company representatives and private investors signaled a shared interest in scaling production while addressing challenges such as energy poverty and infrastructure gaps.

“Venezuela and Africa share more than hydrocarbons; we share a vision for energy development that drives industrial growth, creates jobs and ends energy poverty across the Global South,” says NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the AEC. “By deepening technical cooperation, investment frameworks and mutual respect between our markets, we are not only expanding production potential, we are shaping a multipolar energy future that benefits producers and consumers alike.”

For African producers, Venezuela represents a seasoned hydrocarbon partner with decades of experience in complex onshore and offshore operations, heavy crude development and state-led resource management. For Venezuela, African markets offer opportunities for renewed investment collaboration, particularly as reforms to its hydrocarbons framework aim to provide clearer terms and attract external capital.

This institutional deepening mirrors continental platforms such as African Energy Week (AEW), the AEC’s flagship annual gathering in Cape Town. The event convenes ministers, national oil companies, investors and service providers to drive deal-making, local content development and policy coordination across Africa’s energy sector. Engagement with Venezuela aligns with the AEW’s broader objective of diversifying partnerships and strengthening producer-to-producer collaboration.

As energy markets fragment and geopolitical alignments shift, Africa-Venezuela cooperation is emerging as a strategic pillar of South-South engagement. Both sides are positioning themselves more assertively in a changing global energy landscape – one increasingly shaped by diversified producer alliances rather than traditional power centers.