Sahara Group is gearing up for a major expansion in its oil production operations, aiming to reach 350,000 barrels per day (bpd) within five years. The company announced that this target will be driven by fresh investments, including the purchase of seven new oil rigs and upgrades across its exploration and production facilities.
Leste Aihevba, Chief Technical Officer at Asharami Energy—Sahara’s upstream subsidiary—revealed the plan during a strategy meeting with investors at the Africa Energy Week in Cape Town. He explained that the company’s investment push reflects its goal of strengthening Africa’s role in the global energy market through collaboration, innovation, and infrastructure growth.
“African countries must work together to achieve energy security and sustainability,” Aihevba said, emphasizing that progress in refining, gas development, and power projects must align with a unified continental agenda.
The newly acquired rigs will be deployed across Sahara’s operations in Nigeria and other regions to increase drilling capacity and speed up production timelines. Two of the rigs have already arrived in Nigeria, while two more are expected before the end of the year. The company also plans to ramp up gas production to one billion standard cubic feet per day.
Aihevba noted that one of the rigs—a 2000 HP land rig known as L-Buba—has started drilling a gas well, while another is being prepared for an oil field project. The rigs will be operated by Arahas Global Oilfield Services, a Sahara subsidiary.
He added that Sahara is combining technology adoption, infrastructure expansion, and workforce development to boost its competitiveness and contribute to Africa’s clean energy transition.
Recent figures from the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) show that Nigeria’s oil output rose by 5.5% year-on-year in August 2025, reaching 1.43 million barrels per day—96% of its OPEC quota.
Additionally, Sahara’s Afam 2 Power Plant in Rivers State is now supplying 160 megawatts (MW) of electricity to the national grid, reinforcing the group’s commitment to expanding access to reliable energy across the country.
Through these efforts, Sahara Group continues to strengthen its position as a major player in Africa’s energy landscape while advancing the continent’s long-term energy sustainability goals.
